Mouthwash Bacteria Science Fair Projects for 6th Graders

Super Science Fair Projects :: Microbiology :: Water / Soil Microbes ::

Microbiology science fair projects for students of all ages...

image of detective

Mouthwash Science Fair Projects

When developing science fair projects that explore the bacteria killing properties of mouthwash you need to pay attention to the active ingredients in each product. You will also need to pay attention to teh concentration of the active ingredients. These factors will influence the effectiveness of each product.

Awards Earned

2nd Place, 8th Life Science, PCA Science Fair

Find out what unforseen creatures are in your life
with the Water & Soil Microbe Experimenter Kit!

Problem to be Solved

Which mouthwash kills the most oral bacteria?

Hypothesis

The mouthwash containing sodium fluoride will work the best because it is an oxidizing agent, which kills bacteria and prevents more sulfur compunds from generating. It differs from the mouthwashes containing zinc, which simply decrease the concentration of sulfur compounds, and the antiseptic mouthwashes that can cause your mouth to be dry.

Variables

Listerine - antiseptic mouthwash.
Act - sodium fluoride mouthwash.
Diabet-Aid - cetylprindinium chloride mouthwash
Lavoris - zinc chloride mouthwash

Procedure

Gather materials. On the back of a petri dish, trace a quarter four times using a marker. Two hours after two people have eaten, have them rinse their mouths with water. They will rinse their mouths so that they are wet. Swab the back of their tongues with separate cotton swabs. Then gently wipe the area inside of separate circles with the separate cotton swabs. Have them rinse out their mouths with one of the mouthwashes with the directed amount and for the directed amount of time (from the bottle instructions). Then have them rinse out their mouths with water. Again swab the back of their tongues and swab inside the area of another pair of circles. Label each circle on the petri dish to identify before and after circles. Tape the petri dish together so that it is sealed. Four days after the experiment, take a picture of the petri dish and record and compare the amount of bacteria grown. Record the amount of dots and the sizes of the dots, or record the size of the mass grown. Do the experiment with each of the four mouthwashes. Then repeat the procedure with all four mouthwashes again, but with another pair of people.

Conclusion

The zinc chloride mouthwash Lavoris had the least amount of bacteria growth and thus worked best. The sodium fluoride affected bacteria from one person, but not the other. In further experimentation, I would use each mouthwash for two consecutive weeks instead of just once. 3rd party contributor

Science Fair Supplies, Kits, Projects & Ideas
power house experiments science kit fun kids science fair projects teacher science supplies electricity experiments astronomy for kids earth science experiments renewable energy education in the classroom life science experiments biochemistry medicine-health engineering chemistry biology electronic scifair projects dna extraction science fair projects young scientists club science kit set magnetometer high school science fair projects energy science fair projects

Science Fair Books & Software for Kids and Teachers
janice vancleave shar levine science fair books
best science projects books science books for teachers

For Science Fair Report
graphics