Mahidol University’s Faculty of Dentistry patents mouthwash they claim reduces chances of spreading Covid
There may be a new way to reduce your risk of contracting Covid besides washing your hands, social distancing, and following Covid safe sex guidelines. Mahidol University’s Faculty of Dentistry has recently patented a mouthwash that reduces the user’s chances of spreading Covid by targeting their saliva.
The mouthwash was created by researchers at Mahidol University’s Faculty of Tropical Medicine in order to curb the spread of Covid. The mouthwash has a safe amount of hydrogen peroxide as an anti-viral agent as well as other ingredients that won’t irritate the oral cavity, says Dr Surakit Wisutthiwatthanakorn, the director of Mahidol University’s Dentistry Hospital.
Dr Surakit adds that the trial phase with patients from the Dentistry Hospital showed that mouthwash can kill over 99.9% of new Coronavirus in the user’s saliva.
“For example, if a patient has 100,000 units of Covid-19 virus in their saliva, after using this mouthwash for one minute, only 41 units will still be alive. Furthermore, the mouthwash is able to tackle mutated variants of the virus, as it eliminates the fat layer protecting the virus, rendering it incapable of multiplying” says Dr Surakit.
The Covid killing mouth wash will not change the colour of the user’s teeth and it can be stored at room temperature for over a year, the doctor went on to say. MU intends to distribute their patented mouthwash to field hospitals at prisons and military camps, where at such locations the risk of infection for patients and medical officials remains high due to crowded spaces and limited protective gear.
Back in November of 2020, the BBC said that over the counter mouthwash showed promising signs in killing the virus. The researchers cautioned that it shouldn’t be used as a treatment for Covid because the mouthwash won’t reach the respiratory tract or the lungs.
SOURCE: The Nation Thailand BBC
