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KOMPAS.com – Various methods are used to protect yourself from attacks corona virus, including protecting the mouth area with mouthwash.
Many people believe that mouthwash can help kill germs and viruses that are around the mouth. But, is that true?
Launching Live Science (21/10/2020), the researchers conducted experiments carried out in a laboratory, using human cells cultured in solution.
So, on research In this case, the researchers did not test directly on people how the effect of using products such as mouthwash on the corona virus.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that the scientists in this study used a form of the coronavirus called HCoV? 229e – not SARS-CoV – 2, which is the specific corona virus that causes Covid-19.
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But according to researchers, the two viruses are genetically similar, so the experimental results are expected to be the same.
Meanwhile, health authorities are still trying to clear up misconceptions regarding the defense of the corona virus.
Many scientists are calling for more research to investigate how products such as mouthwash might interact with and inactivate SARS-CoV-2, due to the presence of a chemical known to disrupt the viral membrane.
To check on this, the team from Penn State University exposing human liver cells in culture to a mixed solution containing HCoV-229e, be it in mouthwash, nasal spray, or baby shampoo that is diluted to 1 percent.
The test results revealed that all of these products were effective in deactivating the virus, although the degree of effectiveness varied between products and depending on how long the product had been in contact with the virus.
“With a contact time of 1 to 2 minutes, a 1 percent solution of baby shampoo was able to deactivate more than 99 percent to 99.9 percent of the virus or more,” write the researchers in their paper.
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Among the oral solutions, many of the products tested appeared to be able to inactivate 99.99 percent of the virus after 30 seconds, and when the incubation time grew longer than that (1 to 2 minutes), the researchers were unable to detect any infectious virus remaining in cells.
Findings that have been reported in Journal of Medical Virology This, supports previous research from Germany published in July, which also suggested that exposure to mouthwash could significantly reduce the surge in the number of coronaviruses.
Note that the German study used SARS-CoV-2 in an experiment, which is similar to the Penn State study.
Even so, neither of Education This makes researchers believe they will get the same results if the test is done directly on humans.
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“There’s a lot we don’t know about how products like mouthwash might function in real-world scenarios,” said microbiologist Craig Meyers, first author of the study.
However, given the positive results obtained in experiments like this one – and given how little defense we currently have against the coronavirus – outside of health protocols such as physical distancing, washing hands and wearing masks – researchers say further research should be carried out. , by looking at clinical trials to evaluate whether products such as mouthwash can actually reduce viral load in Covid-19 positive patients.
“Clinical trials are needed to determine whether this product can reduce the number of corona virus positive patients or protect those in high-risk occupations who can easily become infected while talking, coughing or sneezing,” said Meyers.
“Even if the use of mouthwash could reduce transmission by up to 50 percent, it would certainly have a big impact.”
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