Mouthwash and Covid-19

Last week, research from Cardiff University indicated that, in a lab, mouthwash could kill the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for Coivd-19 in 30 seconds. The team tested various over the counter brands of mouthwash, including Dentyl and Listerine, because they contained cetypyridinium chloride (CPC). Of course, this is not a viable way to cure or prevent getting sick, since the virus is more likely to enter your lungs directly rather than linger in your mouth. However, other follow up studies have seemed to come to the same conclusion. Dr. Nick Claydon thinks that the results of the study are true, mouthwash could be "an important addition to people’s routine, together with hand washing, physical distancing and wearing masks, both now and in the future.

But, before you take off to go hoard all the mouthwash in your city, consider a few things. Firstly, Dr. Nick Claydon is a periodontologist, aka he's a dentist, not an immunologist. Secondly, mouthwash will NOT prevent person-to-person transmission so you still must wear a mask and handwash in public (if that is advised where you live) even if you use mouthwash. The people still working on the project recognize this and are thinking of using this, not as a way to prevent Covid, but to reduce the likelihood of spreading it when maskless close contact is unavoidable (for example at the dentist). PLEASE DON'T DRINK MOUTHWASH!!

Also, remember that these are laboratory experiments which have not been actually tested in real people. Still, hope you enjoyed this short post. Have a great Thanksgiving tomorrow (if you're in the states)