Daily rinsing and gargling with a commercial brand of mouthwash helps control the spread of the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea, Australian doctors say. The antibacterial substances contained in popular oral hygiene products have a suppressive effect on the bacterial cause of the disease – Neisseria gonnorhoeae. The study, conducted between May 2015 and February 2016, was based on data obtained from the observation of nearly 200 patients with a history of infectious disease in whom the gonorrhea bacterium was found in the tissues of the mouth and throat. The study participants were divided into two groups – the first group practiced rinsing and gargling (1 minute in the morning) with a popular brand of mouthwash, and the second – with saline solution. Soon after rinsing and gargling, the number of disease-causing microorganisms in the tissues of the mouth and throat in the first group dropped by 48%, while in the second group the decrease was only 16%. The study, published in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections, concluded that the correct and regular use of mouthwash has the property of being an effective method of cheap and easily accessible control over the spread of the infectious disease and its microbial agent. NEWS_MORE_BOX Their daily use can be encouraged in sexually active people with more than one partner, in order to suppress the development and eradication of pathogenic microorganisms in the mouth and throat. This can prevent practitioners from developing an infection as well as transmitting Neisseria gonnorhoeae to another intimate partner. To date, the authors of the study from Monash University and the University of Melbourne are conducting a much larger study, aiming to 100% confirm the newly discovered effects of the mouthwash and clarify the mechanisms by which they work. Scientists believe that the combination of essential oils in these products (from peppermint, eucalyptus, thyme, etc.) have a mutually reinforcing antiseptic effect, supported by the presence of ethanol, which kills bacteria, in which the oils are dissolved. If the discovery is confirmed, the news will be well received in Europe – not only has gonorrhea been spreading at an unprecedented rate in recent years, but more and more bacterial strains of Neisseria gonnorhoeae have emerged that are partially or completely resistant to modern antibiotics. This set the stage for an epidemic of an incurable form of gonorrhea, especially in Great Britain, Portugal and Spain.