In a new study, researchers found that Sars-Cov-2 viruses can be inactivated using certain commercially available mouthwashes.
They found high viral loads can be detected in the oral cavity and throat of some Covid-19 patients.
The use of mouthwashes that are effective against Sars-Cov-2 could thus help to reduce the viral load and possibly the risk of coronavirus transmission over the short term.
This could be useful, for example, prior to dental treatments. However, mouth rinses are not suitable for treating Covid-19 infections or protecting yourself against catching the virus.
The research was conducted by a team from Ruhr-Universität Bochum and elsewhere.
In the study, the researchers tested eight types of mouthwash with different ingredients that are available in pharmacies or drugstores in Germany.
They mixed each mouthwash with virus particles and an interfering substance, which was intended to recreate the effect of saliva in the mouth.
The mixture was then shaken for 30 seconds to simulate the effect of gargling. They then used Vero E6 cells, which are particularly receptive to Sars-Cov-2, to determine the virus titer.
In order to assess the efficacy of the mouthwashes, the researchers also treated the virus suspensions with cell culture medium instead of the mouthwash before adding them to the cell culture.
The team found three types of mouthwash reduced it to such an extent that no virus could be detected after an exposure time of 30 seconds.
Whether this effect is confirmed in clinical practice and how long it lasts must be tested in further studies.
The researchers point out that mouthwashes are not suitable for treating Covid-19, but it could reduce the viral load in the short term where the greatest potential for infection comes from, namely in the oral cavity and throat—and this could be useful in certain situations, such as at the dentist or during the medical care of Covid-19 patients.
One author of the study is Toni Meister.
The study is published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.
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