Use of mouthwash could “reduce risk of dying from Covid”: poor oral health linked to serious illness

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Mouthwash May Protect You From Covid: Infected Patients With Poor Oral Health More Likely To Become Seriously Ill, Study Finds

  • Dr says use of mouthwash could ‘prevent’ or ‘reduce severity’ of Covid infection
  • The results were based on a study of 86 Covid patients who also had heart disease
  • Patients with good oral health had less severe symptoms and recovered faster

By John Ely Senior Health Reporter for Mailonline

Posted: | Update:










A soggy mouthwash every morning could help protect you against Covid, another study suggested.

Egyptian researchers found that people with poor oral health were more likely to suffer from severe symptoms if they caught the virus.

It is the latest in a long line of studies that have linked poor oral hygiene to the risk of Covid, prompting the public to take better care of their teeth.

Scientists behind the study claimed that the mouth can act as a reservoir for the virus, allowing infected patients to have a high “viral load” – particles circulating in the body.

As a general rule, the more viruses a person has in their body, the more likely they are to become seriously ill.

This is the latest research to highlight mouthwash as a potential tool to help kill Covid.

Normally, Covid enters through the throat or nose where it multiplies and makes its way through the respiratory system to the lungs. But some experts have speculated that the virus could spread into the bloodstream after infecting their gums.

Could using mouthwash help prevent or reduce the severity of a Covid infection? A team of cardiologists said new research indicates that maintaining good oral hygiene has helped Covid patients reduce their symptoms and recover from the virus faster

Could using mouthwash help prevent or reduce the severity of a Covid infection? A team of cardiologists said new research indicates that maintaining good oral hygiene has helped Covid patients reduce their symptoms and recover from the virus faster

Experts from Cairo University tested the theory on a group of 86 Covid patients with heart disease.

Doctors assessed the patients’ oral hygiene and the severity of their symptoms.

The results showed that patients with better oral hygiene had milder symptoms of Covid and less inflammation in their bodies.

HOW MOUTHWASH COULD FIGHT COVID-19?

Coronaviruses belong to the class of ‘enveloped viruses’, which means that they are covered with a fatty layer that is vulnerable to certain chemicals.

Studies have suggested that agents in mouthwashes – such as small amounts of ethanol – could disrupt the membranes of other lipid viruses, much like UV rays.

For example, researchers say iodine mouthwashes have been shown to be effective against SARS and MERS, two diseases caused by similar coronaviruses.

In April, a team of researchers that included NHS doctors claimed that brushing your teeth thoroughly could reduce the risk of becoming seriously ill with coronavirus.

They said that “simple oral hygiene”, such as brushing your teeth twice a day for at least two minutes and using mouthwash after meals, could reduce the risk of severe Covid.

They also recovered faster, according to researchers who have yet to release their full results.

Study author Dr Ahmed Mustafa Basuoni said using mouthwash could help people avoid Covid completely and have milder symptoms if they catch the virus.

He added that other good oral health habits such as brushing teeth and regular dental visits “prevent or decrease the severity of Covid.”

Dr Basuoni said: “Oral tissues could serve as a reservoir for SARS-CoV-2, developing a high viral load in the oral cavity.

“Therefore, we recommended maintaining oral health and improving oral hygiene measures, especially during Covid infection.”

The study was presented at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology Middle East 2021.

The researchers did not speculate on why poor oral hygiene could lead to a more severe episode of the disease.

But dozens of studies have shown people with good oral hygiene tend to take better care of themselves and are generally healthier.

For example, gum disease has been linked to a range of conditions such as heart disease and diabetes – both of which are known to make patients more vulnerable to coronavirus.

This latest study is not the first to discover that mouthwashes could help people avoid serious Covid infection.

Experts believe that substances in mouthwashes disrupt the fatty (lipid) membrane surrounding the virus, inhibiting its ability to infect people.

Last November, researchers at Cardiff University found that mouthwashes containing cetypyridinium chloride killed the virus within 30 seconds.

However, the World Health Organization and manufacturers of mouthwash such as Listerine have played down these studies.

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