What do salt water rinses do and how?

Question

I’ve read that salt water rinses are beneficial for oral health, and some of the reasons why that I’ve come across are that it raises the pH in your mouth neutralizing the acids that bacteria create. I’ve also read that the increased salinity kill off the bacteria.

But, I thought that salt solutions are neutral in pH, so why not just use water? I’ve also read that one of the reasons alcohol based mouth washes is actually bad for oral health is that it kills off good bacteria — but if that’s the case doesn’t salt water do the same?

In: Biology