Two types of mouthwash interrupt SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, preventing it from replicating in a human cell, a new study suggests.
The study in the newspaper Pathogens he finds that, in a laboratory setting, Listerine and the chlorhexidine mouthwash stopped the virus in seconds after the researchers diluted it to concentrations that would mimic actual use.
Further studies are needed to test the effectiveness in real life in humans.
The researchers conducted the study in a laboratory using concentrations of mouthwash and the time it would take to contact the tissues to replicate conditions found in the mouth, says senior author Daniel H. Fine, head of the School’s oral biology department. Dental Medicine at Rutgers University.
The study found that two other mouthwashes showed promise in the potential to provide some protection in preventing viral transmission: Betadine, which contains povidone iodine, and Peroxal, which contains hydrogen peroxide. However, only Listerine and Chlorhexidine stopped the virus with little impact on the skin cells inside the mouth that provide a protective barrier against the virus.
“As dentists, we are right in the face of the patient. We wanted to know if there is anything that can lower your viral load. ‘
“Both Povidone and Peroxal iodine caused significant skin cell death in our studies, while both Listerine and Chlorhexidine had minimal skin cell death in concentrations that simulated what would be found in daily use,” says Fine.
The researchers studied the effectiveness of the mouthwash potential to prevent viral transmission to better understand how dental providers can be protected from the aerosols that patients exhale.
“As dentists, we are right in the face of the patient. We wanted to know if there is anything that can decrease viral load ”, says co-author Eileen Hoskin, assistant professor at the Faculty of Dental Medicine.
Fine warns the public against using mouthwashes as a way to delay dissemination until proven in human clinical trials.
“The ultimate goal would be to determine whether rinsing two or three times a day with an antiseptic agent with active antiviral activity would have the potential to reduce the disease’s transmission capacity. But this needs to be investigated in a real-world situation, ”he says.
Previous research has shown that various types of mouthwashes can stop the new coronavirus and temporarily prevent transmission, but this was one of the first studies that examined concentrations of antiseptic rinse, contact time and cell elimination properties. skin that simulated oral conditions.
A team of scientists from the public health research institute of dentistry and virologist conducted the study.
“Since the SARS CoV-2 virus responsible for COVID-19 enters mainly through the oral and nasal cavity, oral biologists should be included in these studies because they have an in-depth knowledge of oral infectious diseases,” says Fine.
Source: Rutgers University