Mouthwash appears to be a real killer of human coronaviruses.

The Journal of Medical Virology recently published an article stating that common mouthwash and nasal rinse products killed nearly 100% of human coronaviruses. https://www.foxnews.com/health/human-coronaviruses-inactivated-mouthwash-oral-rinses-study

Human Coronaviruses

There are seven coronaviruses that infect humans – 229E (alpha coronavirus), NL63 (alpha coronavirus), OC43 (beta coronavirus), HKU1 (beta coronavirus), MERS-CoV (beta coronavirus – also known as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome – MERS), SARS-CoV (beta coronavirus – aka Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome – SARS), and SARS-CoV-2 (novel coronavirus disease of 2019 – aka COVID-19)

Coronaviruses have crown-like spikes. Some coronaviruses infect humans primarily. Other coronaviruses primarily infect animals. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/types.html#:~:text=People%20around%20the%20world%20commonly,and%20MERS%2DCoV.

Oral/Nasal Rinses & COVID-19 Testing

Last month, the US Food and Drug Administration amended the Emergency Use Authorization for a test using a saline oral rinse. This is the OraRisk COVID-19-RT-PCR test.

https://www.contagionlive.com/view/fda-authorizes-saline-oral-rinse-collection-test-covid-19
A thirty-second rinse (swishing and gargling) collection eliminates the need for doing a nasal swab or direct saliva testing. Additionally, the test no longer requires refrigeration of the samples for up to 72 hours. This test has excellent results for detecting COVID-19.

Most people did not like the nasal swab. It irritated the patient and increased the exposure risk to the person collecting the samples. This rinsing test is more acceptable for the patient and minimizes the collection risks. Some people report that the rinse tastes like flat Red Bull.

Killing Coronaviruses with Mouth Wash

Researchers tested several oral and nasopharyngeal rinses to determine the effectiveness of each to inactivate human coronaviruses. Over half of the test solutions inactivated nearly 100% of the human coronaviruses after thirty seconds of use.

The nose and mouth are the two primary entry points for the virus to infect a person. Slowing down or eliminating the transfer of human coronaviruses significantly reduces the transmission of the viruses.

Unfortunately, the virus responsible for the current pandemic, the SARS-CoV-2 virus was not tested! Why? The article did not say. Speculation is that the human coronaviruses are molecularly similar, and the scientists expect similar results with the COVID-19 virus.

There may be more deterrent to coronavirus transmission by gargling with mouthwash three times a day than washing hands every other hour. The products tested were over the counter products that are available to almost everyone.

https://academic.oup.com/function/article/1/1/zqaa002/5836301 is a link to the scientific journal, Function, that published an article nearly six months ago suggesting that mouthwash might be a major player in preventing the transmission of COVID-19. https://dr-samir.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/nasal-spray-and-mouthwash-during-the-current-COVID-19.pdf supports this position with an article written in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

If you are quarantined with a family member who tested positive for coronavirus, using a mouthwash to prevent or reduce viral transmission might be an option. Any person working around high-risk patients might also consider this mouthwash option as a deterrent to a viral transmission.

Conclusion

Is this mouthwash suggestion outside normal thinking? I do not believe so. It makes a lot of sense. I wish it were more heavily transmitted to the public three or four months ago, especially as some states were opening businesses that had been shut down due to the pandemic.

I can easily see a business like a bar or a restaurant pre-qualifying their patrons with a 30-second mouthwash before entering their facilities. This sounds far-fetched, but is it? We require face masks and ask patrons to wash their hands. Why not gargle also?

Live Longer & Enjoy Life! – Red O’Laughlin – RedOLaughlin.com

 

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