Researchers have once again claimed that widely-available mouthwashes have killed Coronavirus, within 30 seconds of exposure in laboratory conditions.
The study, this time from Cardiff University in the UK, found that some mouthwashes could help to kill the Coronavirus in saliva. The study has not been peer-reviewed or published in a medical journal yet.
According to the BBC, while the research suggests the use of mouthwash may help kill the virus in saliva, there is no evidence it could be used as a treatment for coronavirus since it won’t reach the respiratory tract or the lungs.
“The ability of mouthwashes to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 in vitro was tested using a protocol capable of detecting reduction in infectivity,” said the study authors,
The mouthwashes were tested in the laboratory under conditions that were designed to mimic the oral/nasal cavity in a test tube.
The researchers revealed that mouthwashes containing at least 0.07 per cent cetyl pyridinium chloride showed “promising signs” of virus-killing potential.
“This study adds to the emerging literature that several commonly-available mouthwashes designed to fight gum disease can also inactivate the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus (and other related coronaviruses),” study lead author Richard Stanton was quoted as saying to the BBC.
According to the research team, a clinical trial will look at whether it helps to reduce levels of the virus in the saliva of Covid-19 patients at the hospital in Cardiff, with results expected early next year.
Researcher David Thomas said the initial results were encouraging, but the clinical trial would not produce evidence of how to prevent transmission between patients.
“Whilst these mouthwashes very effectively eradicate the virus in the laboratory, we need to see if they work in patients and this is the point of our ongoing clinical study,” he said.
Another study published in the Journal of Medical Virology in October also revealed that certain oral antiseptics and mouthwashes might have the ability to inactivate human coronaviruses.
