Clinical Trial Will Answer Critical Questions About Potential of Mouthwash to Kill Coronavirus and Slow COVID-19 Spread

Carolina clinical trial tests effectiveness of mouthwash to kill coronavirus.

UNC-Chapel Hill Adams School of Dentistry clinical trial will answer critical questions about mouthwash’s potential to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Researchers from the University of North Carolina at the Chapel Hill Adams School of Dentistry have launched a clinical trial to test whether mouthwashes can reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus.

Laboratory experiments have shown that mouthwash can kill coronaviruses quickly, but there is no evidence that mouthwash can prevent the virus from infecting humans. The Adams School of Dentistry is investigating how well mouthwash works to reduce the amount of coronavirus in the mouths of people with COVID-19 and whether it can reduce the chances of spreading the virus to others.

The focus of their research is to find a way to lower the risk of transmitting the coronavirus in situations where masking and standing more than two meters apart may not be an option, for example during dental procedures.

“While we are excited about the benchmark data, the real test is whether these mouthwashes have an effect on saliva in patients’ mouths and whether a mouthwash can reduce the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) by oral drops,” said lead researcher Laura Jacox, an orthodontist and oral health science researcher who is director of the Orthodontic Research Program at the Adams School of Dentistry.

Specifically, researchers plan to measure how much virus is found in saliva before and after using mouthwash according to label directions. Adults who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past seven days are eligible to participate in the clinical trial.

Because the mouth is constantly producing saliva, samples are collected and tested every 15 minutes for up to an hour to track how long any reduction in viral load and infectiousness lasts.

Benefits can extend beyond healthcare health

The clinical trial will test commercially available mouthwashes that contain common antiseptic ingredients, such as ethylpyridinium chloride or ethanol.

“The study will allow us to determine which active ingredient in mouthwash shows the most promise,” Jacox said. “Ideally, it’s an ingredient that’s already FDA-approved so it can be put to use immediately.”

If proven effective, mouthwash could be instrumental in controlling the spread of COVID-19 at one of the key points of entry and transmission of the coronavirus into the body. Preliminary results of a study led by Adams School of Dentistry and the National Institutes of Health showed that the salivary glands, tongue and tonsils are especially vulnerable to coronavirus infection.

COVID-19 usually spreads during close contact when an infected person coughs, sings, talks or sneezes.

“Using a mouthwash is an easily implementable, low-risk, inexpensive, and potentially high-reward intervention,” said Jennifer Webster-Cyriaque, a professor in the Adams School of Dentistry and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the UNC School. of Medicine. “The potential benefit could extend far beyond dental care to educational institutions and places of worship and help essential workers when close contact is unavoidable.”

The results of the study are expected later this year.