Tongue Cleaning: Does It Help, and How to Do It

Your tongue is covered in tiny bumps called papillae, some of which contain taste buds. The Australian Dental Association explains that this bumpy surface can collect bits of food and large numbers of bacteria. The Oral Health Foundation adds dead cells to the list, and says the build-up can lead to bad breath. Whether cleaning it off makes a real difference is less clear than many people assume.

Why do people clean their tongue?

Mostly for fresher breath. The Better Health Channel (Victoria) says bad breath (halitosis) is mostly caused by sulphur-producing bacteria that live on the surface of the tongue and in the throat, and lists a coated tongue among its major causes. healthdirect Australia lists a white coating on the top of the tongue among the symptoms that can come with halitosis.

The Oral Health Foundation says cleaning your tongue can help to:

• reduce bad breath caused by bacteria on the tongue
• remove a white or coated layer
• lower the amount of bacteria that contribute to tooth decay and gum problems
• improve your sense of taste.

The Australian Dental Association is more cautious. It says cleaning reduces the amount of bacteria on the tongue, but that the benefit of this has not yet been proven, although some studies suggest it may help gum and tooth health and freshness.

Does tongue cleaning help bad breath?

Health bodies do not agree.

• NHS: advises gently cleaning your tongue once a day with a tongue scraper or cleaner, as part of keeping your teeth, tongue and mouth clean.
• Oral Health Foundation: says it can help reduce bad breath caused by bacteria on the tongue.
• Better Health Channel: says gentle but effective tongue cleaning may be needed as part of treatment.
• healthdirect Australia: says tongue cleaning does not treat halitosis, but can help remove bacteria from your mouth.
• American Dental Association: says there is no evidence that brushing or scraping your tongue prevents bad breath or improves halitosis, because the bacteria grow back as fast as you remove them. It calls tongue cleaning a matter of personal preference and not a necessary step.
• Australian Dental Association: says a 2019 review of the evidence found no evidence that tongue cleaning was effective for managing the cause of halitosis, and that bad breath can come from elsewhere in the body, such as the lungs and nose. The summary at the top of the same page says cleaning your tongue can help to reduce bad breath, so its own page is not fully consistent.

What the research shows

A Cochrane review is a large, independent summary of the trials on a question.

• 2006 review. A Cochrane review of tongue scraping found only two trials, with 40 people in total. Tongue scrapers and cleaners reduced the smelly sulphur gases in the breath slightly more than a toothbrush did, but the reviewers called the evidence weak and unreliable, and the effect short-lived: in one trial it could not be detected for more than 30 minutes. The trials reported a small amount of tongue injury after a week of scraping, and nausea and some injury with a toothbrush. Cochrane withdrew this review in 2016 and folded it into a wider one.
• 2019 review. The replacement review, of all ways of managing bad breath that starts in the mouth, included 44 trials. For tongue cleaning compared with no tongue cleaning, there were just two trials with 46 people, and the reviewers rated the evidence as very low certainty. Most trials followed people up for only one to four weeks. Overall, the reviewers could not say which treatment for bad breath works best, and harmful effects were either not reported or not important.

In short, tongue cleaning has not been studied well enough to show whether it helps bad breath. "Very uncertain" evidence is not the same as evidence that it does not work.

Brushing or scraping?

Either can be used. The Oral Health Foundation lists a tongue cleaner (scraper), your toothbrush, or, if nothing else is available, a spoon used gently, and says a tongue cleaner is usually the most effective. The Australian Dental Association says a toothbrush is fine as long as it has soft bristles. The NHS suggests a scraper or cleaner for bad breath, and brushing your tongue or using a scraper for a white tongue. The US National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) and healthdirect simply include brushing the tongue in their brushing advice.

How to clean your tongue gently

Based on the Oral Health Foundation and the Australian Dental Association:

1. Stand in front of a mirror and stick out your tongue.
2. Place the scraper or soft brush towards the back of your tongue, but not so far that it hurts.
3. Pull or brush it slowly forwards to the tip. Always work from back to front.
4. Rinse the cleaner and repeat. One or two passes over each area is enough.
5. Wash the cleaner in warm, soapy water afterwards.

The Australian Dental Association says the tongue surface is delicate, so be very gentle, and suggests wetting the brush with water so it does not drag. The NHS warns against brushing so hard that your gums or tongue bleed. The Oral Health Foundation suggests once a day, and says to rinse your mouth afterwards. The NHS advises not rinsing with water straight after brushing, so that fluoride stays on your teeth, so if you do both at the same time it may suit you to clean your tongue first.

Dentures and no natural teeth

If you wear dentures, the NHS advises brushing your gums, tongue and any remaining teeth with fluoride toothpaste every morning and evening. See dentures. If holding a brush is difficult, see cleaning your teeth when gripping is hard.

When a coated or discoloured tongue needs checking

The NHS says a sore or white tongue is not usually serious and is often easily treated. It adds that a white tongue can be a sign of conditions such as oral thrush, lichen planus or leukoplakia, and advises seeing a GP or dentist if you have white patches rather than diagnosing yourself. The Oral Health Foundation says to see a dentist or doctor about ongoing soreness, patches that do not rub off, or lumps, ulcers or colour changes. Our guides to tongue problems and oral thrush explain the common causes, and bad breath covers breath that does not improve.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Bad breath, NHS, accessed September 2026
2. Sore or white tongue, NHS, accessed September 2026
3. Dentures (false teeth), NHS, accessed September 2026
4. Cleaning your tongue, Oral Health Foundation, accessed September 2026
5. Halitosis (bad breath), healthdirect Australia, accessed September 2026
6. Dental care and teeth cleaning, healthdirect Australia, accessed September 2026
7. Halitosis or bad breath, Better Health Channel, accessed September 2026
8. Should I clean my tongue?, Australian Dental Association, accessed September 2026
9. Tongue scrapers and cleaners, American Dental Association (MouthHealthy), accessed September 2026
10. Oral hygiene, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, accessed September 2026
11. Interventions for managing bad breath, Cochrane (Kumbargere Nagraj and others, 2019), accessed September 2026
12. Tongue scraping for treating halitosis, Cochrane Library (Outhouse and others, 2006), accessed September 2026
13. Tongue scraping for treating halitosis: withdrawal notice, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews via PubMed Central (NIH), 2016, accessed September 2026

This article is general information about oral health. It is not a diagnosis or a substitute for advice from a dentist or doctor who knows your situation. If you have pain, swelling, bleeding that does not settle, or a problem that is getting worse, see a dental professional. In an emergency, contact your local emergency service.

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