A UK study has revealed that mouthwash can kill COVID-19 within 30 seconds of exposure in a laboratory.
According to the New York Post, the research was conducted at Cardiff University where it was indicated that over-the-counter mouthwashes that contain least 0.07 percent cetypyridinium chloride (CPC) showed promising signs of destroying the virus when exposed in lab testing.
For instance, the scientists on the research are said to have used common brands of mouthwashes including Dentyl and Listerine where they imitated the conditions of a person’s oral and nasal passages.
However, the publication cites that although mouthwash might help kill the virus in saliva, it does not pass as a treatment method.
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Dr. Nick Claydon, a specialist periodontologist told BBC that adding mouthwashes to people’s daily routine should become important.
“If these positive results are reflected in Cardiff University’s clinical trial, CPC-based mouthwashes … could become an important addition to people’s routine, together with hand washing, physical distancing and wearing masks, both now and in the future,” he said.
Dr. Richard Stanto, an author also echoed the sentiments stating that “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) when tested in the laboratory under conditions that are designed to mimic the oral/nasal cavity in a test tube.”
A clinical trial is set to continue on the same although there will be no leads to the prevention of patient to patient transmissions.
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