Mouthwash is probably already a part of your daily routine, and you have no doubt that it “fights 99.9 percent of germs!” Packaging for so long, you forget that you are also looking at it. From the way we wash our hands and wear masks, it is natural to wonder if that protective ability also extends to coronavirus. Hollywood feels the same way – see Camilla Mendes and KJ Apa switching mouthwash before kiss scenes on set. Riverdale – So should the rest of us add this to our COVID-19 defense day?
How Mouthwash Interacts with SARS-COV-2
The structure of the SARS-Cavi-2 particle (the virus particle that causes Cavid-1 causes) that mouthwash can be effective against is a big reason – so allow us to enter science for a minute. A SARS-CoV-2 particle is surrounded by a fatty (or lipid) membrane. While this “envelope” can help keep the virus alive and infect other cells, it is also particularly susceptible to soaps and detergents, which is why we have been told to wash our hands; The ingredients in soaps and detergents can break down that protective barrier.
What does that have to do with mouthwash? “Envelope viruses such as influenza, herpes simplex and other coronaviruses are sensitive to common ingredients in mouthwash,” explained Valerie O’Dell, director of the Department of Infection and Immunity and co-director of the Systems Immunity Research Institute at Cardiff University. , In an interview with Healthline. In a study conducted by Dr. O. O’Donnell in June, researchers also noted that the throat and salivary glands may be the main sites of virus replication and transmission, initially in COVID-19. Developing ways to safely target those areas can be a huge success.
However, Dr. O’Donnell emphasized that research into the protection of mouthwash against other diseases was done through test tube experiments, “not from studies of viruses in the mouth, where their response may be different, and where little work has been done.” Listerine states on its site that Listerin-brand mouthwash does not kill the coronavirus. And while research on mouthwash and coronavirus is coming to light, there’s still a lot we don’t know.
Related: Opened in COVID-19? Here’s how to get infected quickly, according to experts
Can mouthwash protect against covid-19?
With those warnings, there is overwhelming evidence that mouthwash can reduce viral loads (aka coronavirus particles) and potentially reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission in the short term, according to an August study outside Germany. In the study, researchers mixed different types of mouthwash with virus particles and a substance to mimic saliva, then simulated gargling by shaking each mixture for 30 seconds. All of the mixtures they found had fewer virus particles later.
It is not clear how long this effect will last or whether it can be recreated outside the lab, but the results look optimistic. The researchers noted that clinical trials were conducted in Germany and the US. Is already in progress.
To clarify, “gargling with a mouthwash cannot stop the production of the virus in the cells,” said researcher Tony Mister. What it can do is reduce the viral load in the short term, in the area where “the greatest probability of infection comes from,” aka the mouth. This can be very helpful in certain situations, Mister added, such as at a dentist or during the medical care of COVID-19 patients.
In other words, mouthwash is not a cure for Covid-19, but it can potentially reduce the risk of infection and other infections. So go away, but take other safety measures such as socially distance yourself, wear a mask and continue to wash your hands frequently.
