Mouthwash can kill Covid-19 virus in 30 seconds: Research
The study has claimed that widely-available mouthwashes have killed the virus responsible for the Covid-19 disease, within 30 seconds of exposure in laboratory conditions.
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The study from Cardiff University, UK, which has not yet been peer-reviewed or published in a medical journal, found that some mouthwashes could help to kill the Coronavirus in saliva.
While the research suggests that use of mouthwash may help kill the virus in saliva, there is no evidence it could be used as a treatment for coronavirus, as it will not reach the the respiratory tract or the lungs, according to BBC.
"The ability of mouthwashes to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 in vitro was tested using a protocol capable of detecting reduction in infectivity," said the researchers.
The mouthwashes were tested in the laboratory under conditions that are designed to mimic the oral/nasal cavity in a test tube.
The researchers revealed that mouthwashes containing at least 0.07 per cent cetylpyridinium 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 study team, 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, the results are expected 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.
-PTC News
