Summary
Neither mouthwash reduced salivary SARS-CoV-2 load more than purified water at any time point from 30 minutes to 24 hours (cetylpyridinium chloride at 30 minutes: difference 0.640, 95% confidence interval -1.425 to 2.706).
Key points
- 0.05% cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) mouthwash did not lower salivary SARS-CoV-2 viral load more than purified water at 30 minutes or at 2, 4, 10 or 24 hours.
- 0.01% chlorine dioxide mouthwash also did not differ from purified water at any of those times.
- Participants were adults with COVID-19 and no symptoms or mild symptoms.
- Design: randomized, placebo-controlled, open-label trial; 96 people enrolled and 90 analyzed.
- Funding: several authors report research support from Earth Corporation, Tokyo.