Mouthwash can kill Covid in saliva, a new study by researchers at Cardiff University has shown. The small trial of patients found some types of mouthwash eliminated the virus in saliva by 99.8%.
In the trial, 27 hospital patients with PCR-confirmed Covid-19 were given one of four different types of oral rinse, including two containing cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), one containing povidone-iodine and another containing saline. Cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) is used in some types of mouthwashes, toothpastes, lozenges, throat sprays, breath sprays, and nasal sprays. It is an antiseptic that kills bacteria and other microorganisms.
The most effective contained CPC and isopropyl myristate – a single 30-second rinse with this formulation in seven patients eliminated the virus in the saliva by 99.99% at one minute, and by 99.8% at 60 minutes. In three of the seven patients (around 40%) no live virus was detected in the saliva at any time after the initial rinse.
