Sorry, Mouthwash Is Not a Cure for Coronavirus
Mouthwash is designed to kill germs in your mouth. I would say that he is doing his job well. And yet: we seriously distrust mouthwash to prevent the transmission of common colds, streptococcal infections, or any other disease caused by microbes in the mouth. There is no hope that this will be an effective way to avoid contracting COVID-19.
There have been several studies that have tested the effect of mouthwash on SARS-CoV-2 (the coronavirus that causes COVID-19) and they are interesting and potentially useful, especially for healthcare professionals. For example, if using a mouthwash before visiting your dentist temporarily reduces the amount of virus in your mouth, it may help reduce your dentist’s risk of getting sick.
And that’s really the level of protection that scientists assess when they look at mouthwash and coronavirus. Unfortunately, judging by the way some people share the latest story , there seems to be some hope that mouthwash will become a new remedy that we can use to protect ourselves in our daily lives. However, the research on which these exciting news articles are based does not support this conclusion – at least not yet.
What is the new research about?
The latest study on mouthwash, published under the headings ” Common Mouthwashes May Help Fight Coronavirus, ” describes an experiment in which they participated:
- Human cells grown in a laboratory (not in a real human being)
- One of the other human coronaviruses.
This is true, the virus being experimented here is not one that causes COVID-19, but a less harmful one is called HCoV-229M, one of the many viruses responsible for the common cold. What works against this virus probably works against the one we are concerned about, so it was a fair choice to experiment with.
With this setup, the researchers tried several different mouthwashes and pharmacy products to see which ones inactivated most of the virus. Here’s what they said about the products that worked:
A 1% baby nasal rinse shampoo solution inactivated HCoV [the common cold-causing coronavirus] by more than 99.9% with a contact time of 2 minutes. Several over-the-counter mouthwashes / rinses, including Listerine and Listerine-like products, have been highly effective in inactivating infectious virus with over 99.9% even at 30-second contact. In this manuscript, we have demonstrated that several publicly available medical products have significant virucidal properties against HCoV.
(Not mentioned above because it failed tests: a nasal rinse recipe included in the CVS neti pot kit that used salt and baking soda.)
This study isn’t the first to test the idea that mouthwash can help prevent COVID-19 transmission. A review published earlier this year provides evidence that mouthwash should be beneficial. In short: SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped virus; ingredients in mouthwash can damage this type of envelope; less virus in the mouth likely means less transmission. To be clear if you are infected, using a mouthwash will temporarily reduce the amount of infectious virus in your mouth. It won’t make you any less sick.
This all makes sense, but no one has actually tested this idea in real life. The reviewers posed several questions that need to be addressed in future studies and advised SELF that clinical trials are ongoing.
What does this mean to me?
Not very good yet. It will most likely affect your life if one day your dentist or doctor may ask you to use mouthwash before or at the beginning of your visit.
This study does not mean that mouthwash replaces wearing a mask or that science has beaten the coronavirus. If you are infected, the virus is still replicating in your cells and struggles to escape and infect another host, whether you use a mouthwash or not.
If you are already using mouthwash and feel like you want to do a couple of extra rinses, chances are that this will lower your chances of transmitting the virus. But nobody checked it on purpose. If you’re thinking, “well, it won’t hurt,” it’s also worth noting that mouthwash chemicals can sometimes be harsh and annoying, especially with frequent use. The best thing to do is smile right now, because you can see that researchers are working on this important issue. Then continue to wear the mask and distance yourself as usual.