Amosan is an oral

antiseptic An antiseptic (from Greek ἀντί ''anti'', "against" and σηπτικός ''sēptikos'', "putrefactive") is an antimicrobial substance or compound that is applied to living tissue/skin to reduce the possibility of infection, sepsis, or putre ...

rinse. It contains 68.635% sodium perborate monohydrate by weight. Sold as a powder customarily packaged in 1.7g envelopes, it reconstitution with warm water, after which it is used as a mouth rinse. It is used to aid in the prevention of, as well as speed the recovery from

canker sores A plant canker is a small area of dead tissue, which grows slowly, often over years. Some cankers are of only minor consequence, but others are ultimately lethal and therefore can have major economic implications for agriculture and horticultur ...

, denture irritation, orthodontic irritation, and oral injuries or after dental procedures.

History

Amosan was originally made by

Oral-B Oral-B is an American brand of oral hygiene products, including toothpastes, toothbrushes, electric toothbrushes, and mouthwashes. The brand has been in business since the invention of the Hutson toothbrush in 1950 and in Redwood City, Califo ...

; a mention of the powder appeared in the February 6, 1970 Federal Register.https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1970-02-06/pdf/FR-1970-02-06.pdf Between 2005 and 2010, Amosan was manufactured in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and sold under the Oral-B brand, belonging to

Procter & Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer he ...

after its 2005 acquisition of Gillette. In December 2010, its use was banned in the EU, as the product is based on borate, which the union considers "carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic for reproduction".Nature Inc. (2015): "Chemical used in beauty salon teeth whitening banned by EU". ''BDJ Team'', volume 2, article 15075, 26 June 2015. Vintage Brands Limited began manufacturing and selling Amosan Oral Antiseptic Rinse in 2014 because many consumers were disappointed that it was no longer available.https://www.facebook.com/AmosanOralProducts Product review pages on Amazon and public comment forums elsewhere indicate a high level of frustration with the discontinuation by users who could find no effective alternative treatment. A similar, if not identical product, also manufactured under the Oral-B brand name, called Bocasan was once distributed in the UK, but appears to have been discontinued some time after 2003. In April 2012, it was reported that

Shoppers Drug Mart Shoppers Drug Mart Inc. (named Pharmaprix in Quebec) is a Canadian retail pharmacy chain based in Toronto, Ontario. It has more than 1,300 stores in nine provinces and two territories. The company was founded by pharmacist Murray Koffler in 19 ...

in Canada had produced a comparable product under their house brand: 'Life Brand Oral Wound Cleanser'. Also, Jean Coutu and Rexall has their own house brand versions.

Mechanism of action

The active ingredient, sodium perborate monohydrate, is quickly hydrolyzed into

hydrogen peroxide Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound with the formula . In its pure form, it is a very pale blue liquid that is slightly more viscous than water. It is used as an oxidizer, bleaching agent, and antiseptic, usually as a dilute solution (3%� ...

and

borate A borate is any of several boron oxyanions, negative ions consisting of boron and oxygen, such as orthoborate , metaborate , or tetraborate ; or any salt with such anions, such as sodium metaborate, and disodium tetraborate . The name also re ...

on contact with water.B.J. Brotherton "Boron: Inorganic Chemistry" in ''Encyclopedia of Inorganic Chemistry'' (1994) Ed. R. Bruce King, John Wiley & Sons An 1979 recent double-blind

crossover study In medicine, a crossover study or crossover trial is a longitudinal study in which subjects receive a sequence of different treatments (or exposures). While crossover studies can be observational studies, many important crossover studies are con ...

suggests that

, which is released during the use of this product, may prevent or retard colonization and multiplication of anaerobic bacteria, such as those that inhabit oral wounds.

Drug facts

* Active ingredient: Sodium perborate monohydrate 1.2 g * Inactive ingredients: L-

Tartaric acid Tartaric acid is a white, crystalline organic acid that occurs naturally in many fruits, most notably in grapes, but also in bananas, tamarinds, and citrus. Its salt, potassium bitartrate, commonly known as cream of tartar, develops naturally ...

sodium saccharin Saccharin (''aka'' saccharine, Sodium sacchari) is an artificial sweetener with effectively no nutritional value. It is about 550 times as sweet as sucrose but has a bitter or metallic aftertaste, especially at high concentrations. Saccharin is ...

, flavors * Purpose: Oral wound cleanser * Normal use: Use up to 4 times daily, after meals and before bedtime or as directed by a dentist or physician

References

Antiseptics Oral hygiene Dental equipment {{medicine-stub