Urgent Research Needed on Oral Rinses to Reduce SARS-CoV-2 Transmission

Researchers from Cardiff University School of Medicine in Wales are calling for urgent research into whether mouthrinses could reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the early stages of infection. While some oral rinses contain agents that may have the potential to damage the virus’ lipid membrane, consensus has not been reached on their effect on the novel coronavirus.

Their review of the literature,“Potential Role of Oral Rinses Targeting the Viral Lipid Envelope in SARS-CoV-2 Infection,” published in Function, assessed existing mouthrinse formulations to analyze their ability to disturb the SARS-CoV-2’s lipid envelope. The team notes that various mouthrinses deserve clinical evaluation. In their work, investigators said previous studies demonstrated select agents could penetrate the lipid membranes of other viruses. Such research, they say, could include evaluating existing or specifically formulated mouthrinses in the lab and clinical trials.

From Decisions in Dentistry. September 2020;6(8):9.