An additional approach to prevent COVID-19 has appeared in recent research published in the Journal of Medical Virology. The virus attacks the body through the entrance point in mouths and noses, as well as exits through these points. That is why the emphasis on prevention by wearing masks. Since the severity of the disease is caused by the total amount of virus at the point of entry, reducing the amount of virus in the mouth and nose will reduce the incidence and the severity of the disease, and perhaps prevent transmission altogether.
Research has shown that both mouthwash and baby shampoo render 99.9% of coronaviruses inactive in less than two minutes.
It is already well known that detergent is an effective virucide. Physicians in COVID ICU’s have found that a one-percent baby shampoo solution used to rinse out the sinuses is an excellent tactic to reduce viral load in their nasal passages and can kill 99% of virus after two minutes.
In the study, different mouthwashes were tested to see how effective they were to reduce a viral load like COVID in the mouth for 30 seconds, one minute, and two minutes. The results found several mouthwash and gargling products leave 99.9 percent of coronaviruses inactive after just 30 seconds.
The most effective mouthwash tested, Listerine Antiseptic, inactivated 99.999% of COVD similar virus in 30 seconds, contained alcohol as an active ingredient. Other alcohol containing mouthwashes inactivating 99.99% of COVID similar virus in 30 seconds were Listerine Ultra, and CVS Antiseptic. Equate Antiseptic required 2 minutes of contact time for similar results. Crest Pro Health, a non-alcohol mouth rinse was able to reduce viral load up to 99.9%. Peroxide containing mouth rinses such as Peroxide Sore Mouth, Ora Jel Antiseptic Rinse, and 1.5% peroxide rinse achieved up to 90% reduction.
Before a vaccine is fully distributed, prevention is the key method of reducing the spread of the virus.
Mouth rinses can reduce the virus when initially infected and may also be able to reduce the transmission of viruses from an infected person.
Since both baby shampoo and mouthwash are widely available, they can be useful adjuncts to mask wearing and social distancing to prevent the spread and severity of COVID-19.
The study appears in the Journal of Medical Virology.