'Junk science'! Top COVID-19 doctor rubbishes claim that mouthwash can kill coronavirus

Scientists in the UK have found that mouthwash designed to fight gum disease can kill coronavirus in merely 30-second. A team of scientists at Cardiff University suggested that mouthwash could help to destroy coronavirus within 30 seconds of being exposed to it in a lab.

The university report said that mouthwash that contains at least 0.07 per cent of cetypyridinium chloride (CPC) showed "promising signs" of being able to kill SARS-CoV-2 when exposed in a lab.

However, Dr. Faheem Younus, Head of Infectious disease at Maryland University, has dismissed the scientists' claim, calling it 'junk science'.

The report comes ahead of a clinical trial on COVID-19 on patients at the University Hospital of Wales. A clinical trial will look at whether mouthwash helps to reduce levels of the virus in the saliva of coronavirus-infected patients.

The research suggested that the use of mouthwash may kill the coronavirus present in saliva.

Dr Richard Stanton, the lead author of the study, said: "Several commonly-available mouthwashes can inactivate the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus (and other related coronaviruses) when tested in the laboratory under conditions that are designed to mimic the oral/nasal cavity in a test tube".

However, the study is yet to be reviewed and published, which means other scientists will have to scrutinise the academic research. It has now been submitted for publication in a journal, which will be published in early 2021.

Another professor from the university, Dr David Thomas said "Whilst these mouthwashes very effectively eradicate the virus in the laboratory, we need to see if they work in patients and this is the point of our ongoing clinical study," he said.

Dr Claydon, a specialist periodontologist said mouthwashes could become an important addition to people's routine, together with hand washing, physical distancing and wearing masks, both now and in the future because of the new findings.

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