COVID-19 is a deadly virus that’s already killed more than 50,000 people in the UK. But scientists have recently revealed that mouthwash may be able to lower your risk of the coronavirus infection. Express.co.uk explains the three key mouthwash changes you should make to protect against COVID-19.
Mouthwash could kill the coronavirus within 30 seconds of being exposed to it, scientists have claimed.
Mouthwashes containing at least 0.07 percent cetypyridinium chloride showed “promising signs” as a preventative against coronavirus, they found.
The research is yet to be peer-reviewed by like-minded scientists, but it’s still a major boost in the fight against COVID-19.
If you do choose to use mouthwash to avoid coronavirus, there are three key changes you must make to protect against the infection.
READ MORE: Coronavirus mouthwash: How mouthwashes ‘kill’ bacteria in the mouth
“When choosing a mouthwash to help protect against coronavirus, make sure it is an antiseptic mouthwash,” she told Express.co.uk.
“Mouthwash is commonly used by unscrewing the lid and using that lid to fill with mouthwash and pour into your mouth. Therefore, it is important to perform good hand hygiene prior to using mouthwash to help prevent the transferral of germs from hands [and possibly from other surfaces touched in the bathroom such as taps] to mouth.
“Considering mouthwash bottles are commonly shared within a household it’s recommended to coat the bottles with a long-lasting antimicrobial product that has been scientifically proven.
“This can help prevent transmission between members of the same household.”
Different types of mouthwash have different ways of killing bacteria.
Some types of mouthwash, hydrogen peroxide, flushes out debris from inside the mouth with a bubbling action.
This cleansing of the mouth provides oral irritation relief, while also killing any lingering bacteria.
Dentists have insisted they’ll continue to use hydrogen peroxide until more research is completed on cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) mouthwashes.