Nigerian doctor and health educator, Chukwuma Okoro, popularly known as Aproko Doctor, has warned against using untreated borehole water to rinse the mouth, saying contaminated water could expose people to bacteria associated with peptic ulcers.
Aproko Doctor gave the warning in a video shared on X on Monday, urging people to pay attention to the source and safety of water used for oral hygiene, particularly water from boreholes.
“If the water you use to rinse your mouth is coming from your borehole inside your compound, this particular video is for you,” he said.
He explained that one of the major causes of peptic ulcers is infection with Helicobacter pylori, commonly known as H. pylori.
“There are different causes of stomach ulcer, but there’s a very common cause that is caused by a particular bacteria known as Helicobacter pylori.
“Wait a minute. But for the sake of this video, we’ll call it H. pylori.
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“This H. pylori will enter inside your stomach, and the layer that is even supposed to protect your stomach, it will destroy it. And then acid will follow, and bam! That damage is what now leads to stomach ulcer,” he said.
Aproko Doctor said contaminated water was one possible route through which people could be exposed to the bacteria.
“One of the places is through contaminated water and food, or places where tap water is not completely or properly treated,” he said.
He also warned about possible contamination in situations where borehole and wastewater systems are poorly constructed or maintained.
“Or the pipe that carries the borehole water is the same pipe that carries the water to the soakaway. That bacteria can jump from the soakaway pipe into the borehole pipe,” he said.
He therefore advised people who were uncertain about the safety of their water to treat it before using it, including for rinsing the mouth.
“That’s why I always tell people, if you’re not sure where your tap water is coming from, especially in Nigeria and Africa where there’s no treatment, it’s coming from a borehole, you need to either boil it, filter it properly, or add some chemical disinfectants, so that you can remove at least a huge percentage of the bacteria even before you use it to rinse your mouth.”
Aproko Doctor also identified frequent use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, including ibuprofen and diclofenac, as other factors associated with peptic ulcers.
“Other things too that can also cause ulcer are taking drugs like NSAIDs, ibuprofen, diclofenac frequently. If you’re abusing it, if you’re drinking alcohol, if you’re smoking, are you serious?
“Yes, all these things can cause stomach ulcer.”
Aproko Doctor said doctors could use an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy to examine the stomach and identify an ulcer.
“The only way to know if you actually have stomach ulcer or peptic ulcer is for doctors to take one long pipe with a camera at the end of it and put it inside your mouth so that you can actually see it.”
Aproko Doctor also warned people not to ignore black or tarry stool, which can be a sign of gastrointestinal bleeding.
“If you also notice that your faeces is beginning to look black and look like kota that they are using to tar road, that’s a problem.”
Aproko Doctor urged people experiencing persistent stomach pain or other concerning symptoms to seek medical attention and encouraged people to pay attention to the source and treatment of water used in their homes.
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