Tom Britton: mouth guards reduce corona infection

Could reduce the spread of infections

Of: Anna Sjögren

Published: February 12, 2021 at 06:45

To reduce the risk of a third corona wave, Swedes should wear mouth guards in grocery stores and other indoor public settings.

Math professor Tom Britton comes to that conclusion after going through several international studies.

– If all Swedes start wearing mouth guards, we could reduce the spread of infection by 10-15%, he says.

The second pandemic wave appears to have peaked in Sweden: the spread of the infection has started to slow down a bit. The R number, which indicates how many people a corona-infected person transmits on average, is now below 1.

But the risk of a third wave is imminent. In a situation where the infection increases again and the R-number rises above 1 again, further measures must be taken. That’s the opinion of Tom Britton, professor of mathematics at Stockholm University.

One of the measures should be to recommend mouth guards in all indoor environments, for example on long-distance trains, in supermarkets and shopping centers.

– Wearing a mouth guard in all indoor public settings can be a bit boring, but it’s a mild measure compared to, say, closing schools that involve much bigger problems, says Tom Britton.

Photo: Emma-Sofia Olsson / SvD / TT

Tom Britton, Professor of Mathematics in the Department of Mathematics at Stockholm University.

“It can have a significant effect”

After looking at three studies from the US, Germany and Denmark, the professor believes that it can be concluded that oral protection helps curb the pandemic. All studies pointed in that direction.

– All studies showed that the infection decreased between 20 and 30 percent when wearing a mouth guard. At the time, it was assumed that no one in society wore a mouth guard until everyone did. Assuming some Swedes already wear mouth guards, we could expect to reduce infection by about 10 to 15 percent, he says.

– If we have a situation where we have an R number of just over 1, that is, the infection increases, then we could reduce it to less than 1 if we use mouth guards. So we get quite a significant effect.

“It would be better if everyone had a gas mask”

Anders Tegnell, a state epidemiologist with the Swedish Public Health Agency, had to answer Tom Britton’s estimate during Thursday’s press conference. He does not think it is possible to deduce too large gears.

– One of our big problems here is that everyone who has done different studies goes back to two or three studies. They all have weaknesses in different ways, it’s hard to know how generalizable they are. It has interesting aspects, but it remains true that actual experiences are very limited, he said.

Tom Britton agrees that each of the studies has shortcomings. And he agrees with many other experts that it is difficult to determine the role of other constraints or factors. But given that all three showed less infection among carriers of oral protection, it is reasonable to believe that they have some effect, he says.

Isn’t there a risk that we will relax and reduce the distance if we put on mouth guards?

– I don’t believe in that fear. At least, this doesn’t seem to be the case in Denmark, Germany, or the US, because the overall effect of the studies was that mouth guards reduced the spread of infection.

Do you wear a mouth guard?

– Yes. I use it in supermarkets, public transportation and other indoor public settings.

But the Swedes don’t seem entirely convinced. One in three good guys wear mouth guards on public transportation according to recommendations, SVT reports.

At the same time, Americans are now advised to wear double mouth guards. According to a study by the United States Food and Drug Administration (CDC), a mask made of cloth over the mouth guard can stop 92.5 percent of virus particles.

– I haven’t seen that study. It would be better if everyone walked in a gas mask, but it’s probably a bit difficult, says Tom Britton jokingly.

Published: February 12, 2021 at 06:45

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