Research that is still in the preliminary stages reportedly shows that in a laboratory setting over-the-counter mouthwash can help kill the coronavirus in saliva. But a lot more work needs to be done to confirm the findings.
Cardiff University scientists released the early findings ahead of a clinical trial on COVID-19 patients in the U.K., according to BBC News. The research has not been peer-reviewed, which means other scientists have not closely looked at the findings to see if they hold up.
While mouthwash could help kill the virus in a person's saliva, the report states, there is no evidence that it can treat the virus once it gets into the respiratory system.
But, it might add another layer of protection to the regimen experts have been suggesting to the public: Wear a mask, wash hands regularly and thoroughly and social distance.
Mouthwashes with at least 0.07% cetypyridinium chloride showed promising signs of killing the coronavirus in laboratory conditions, the BBC report says.
These findings follow a similar study published in October which found that using mouthwash could act as a way to help keep the virus from being passed to someone else, but not as a cure for COVID-19.
The upcoming clinical trial is also expected to investigate how long any coronavirus-killing effect lasts from using a single dose of mouthwash.
