UC Irvine

There is a need for an oral irrigation device for reducing odor causing bacteria built up in the throat, preventing tonsil stone formation, and clearing existing tonsil stones. This thesis examined the efficacy of novel shower heads, a deep oral irrigation device, and an oral rinse for cleaning the tonsillar crypts. The custom shower heads tailored for reaching the tonsils were examined with an existing oral irrigation device. Once an effective shower head has been finalized, a deep oral irrigation and tonsil cleaning device was developed based on user requirements from patients affected by halitosis. The novel device has demonstrated the ability to reach the tonsillar fossa behind the tonsillar pillar, dislodge trapped tonsil stones, and rinse the area without spilling liquid back onto the hand of the user. A zinc-based mouth rinse was examined when conducting a minimal inhibitory concentration experiment against S. aureus, a model oral pathogen responsible for a wide variety of diseases including tonsillitis. The mouth rinse was effective at inhibiting S. aureus growth with a minimum inhibitory concentration for 50% growth (MIC50) of 10% (v/v). Both the mouthwash itself and zinc acetate were successful in inhibiting the growth of S. aureus. A minimum inhibitory concentration for 90% growth (MIC90) was achieved at 100 µg/mL which did not change in 10% mouthwash. Overall, the combination of mouth rinse and zinc acetate has shown promising antibacterial activity with great potential to be used as an oral wash for future studies.