Two types of mouthwash disrupt SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, which prevents it from recurring in a human cell, according to a new study.
The study in the journal Pathogens found that Listerine and the prescribed mouthwash Chlorhexidine in laboratory environment disturbed the virus within seconds after researchers diluted it to concentrations that would mimic actual use.
Further studies are needed to test the actual effectiveness in humans.
Researchers conducted the study in a laboratory with concentrations of the mouthwash and the time it would take to contact tissues to repeat conditions that occur in the mouth, says senior author Daniel H. Fine, chair of the oral biology department at Rutgers University’s School of Dental Medicine. .
The study found that two other mouthwashes are promising to provide possible protection to prevent viral transmission: Betadine, which contains povidone iodine, and Peroxal, which contains hydrogen peroxide. However, only Listerine and Chlorhexidine disrupted the virus with little impact on skin cells in the mouth providing a protective barrier against the virus.
“As dentists, we are in the face of a patient. We wanted to know if there is anything that could lower the virus load. ‘
“Both Povidone iodine and Peroxal caused significant skin cell death in our studies, while both Listerine and Chlorhexidine had minimal skin cell killing at concentrations simulating what would be found in daily use,” says Fine.
Researchers have studied the effectiveness of mouthwash potential in preventing virus transmission to better understand how dental providers can stay protected from aerosols that patients exhale.
“As dentists, we are in the face of a patient. We wanted to know if there was anything that could reduce the virus burden, ”says co-author Eileen Hoskin, an assistant professor at the School of Dental Medicine.
Fine warns the public not to rely on mouthwash as a way to slow the spread until proven in clinical trials on humans.
‘The ultimate goal is to determine if flushing two or three times a day with an antiseptic with active antiviral activity has the ability to transmit the disease. But it has to be investigated in a real situation, ‘he says.
Previous research has shown that different types of antiseptic mouthwashes can disrupt the new coronavirus and temporarily prevent transmission, but this was one of the first studies to examine antiseptic rinse concentrations, contact time, and skin-cell killing properties that mimicked oral conditions.
A team of dental school scientists and virologists at the Public Health Research Institute conducted the study.
“Since the SARS CoV-2 virus responsible for COVID-19 penetrates mainly through the oral and nasal cavities, oral biologists should be included in these studies because they have a deep understanding of oral infectious diseases,” says Fine.
Source: Rutgers University