A group of scientists is calling for urgent research into whether readily available mouthwash could be effective in reducing the spread of coronavirus.
They conducted a review of the scientific research in the area to assess whether mouthwash could have the potential to reduce transmission in the early stages of Covid-19 infection.
SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped virus with an outer fatty (lipid) membrane. However, according to the researchers, so far there has been no discussion about the potential role of damaging this membrane as a possible way to inactivate the virus in the throat.
They say previous studies have shown that agents commonly found in mouthwashes - such as low amounts of ethanol, povidone-iodine and cetylpyridinium - could