Effect of Water Rinsing on Dental Biofilm pH After Exposure to Fermentable Carbohydrate: A Scoping Review

ABSTRACT Introduction The ability of rinsing with water following exposure to fermentable carbohydrate (FC) to raise dental biofilm pH has been surprisingly understudied. This scoping review's objective was to assess the evidence for water's effect on neutralization of dental biofilm pH following FC. Methods The PRISMA‐ScR checklist was followed for reporting this scoping review. Four databases were searched for studies that evaluated pH response of dental biofilms to FC followed by water rinsing. Two reviewers selected papers and extracted data independently. Results A total of 1296 papers were identified; 14 studies met inclusion criteria and were further evaluated. Ten studies reported volume of water rinses. Of these studies, five used ≥ 20 mL water, and four of these studies found water to raise biofilm pH significantly. The five studies that reported using < 20 mL water did not find water to raise biofilm pH significantly. Conclusion Based on a small heterogenous set of studies, it may be summarized that rinsing with ≥ 20 mL of water following FC appears to neutralize dental biofilm; its effectiveness should be further investigated as a cost‐effective, accessible, dental‐caries prevention strategy.