Why rinse for 30 seconds?

For maximum efficacy, the dosing of LISTERINE^® Antiseptic rinses is 20mL for 30 seconds, twice a day. What happens in those 30 seconds, and why is only 30 seconds of rinsing necessary?

In just 30 seconds of a full strength rinse, the technology behind LISTERINE^® Antiseptic damages the cell surface of bacteria, interferes with growth, and increases the amount of time it takes for the bacteria to regrow^{11, 12, 15-18} as well as yields greater bacterial kill, and greater plaque reduction.¹⁹

SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE (SEM) OF PLAQUE BIOFILM TREATED WITH LISTERINE® ANTISEPTIC

CLOSE UP OF SEM OF RUPTURED BACTERIAL CELL WALL IN PLAQUE BIOFILM TREATED WITH LISTERINE® ANTISEPTIC

*STUDY DESIGN: In this lab model, saliva-derived biofilms were grown on saliva-coated glass slides Biofilms were cultured for 65 hours prior to mouthrinse exposure. Biofilms were stained to enable quantification of the live/dead cells.