Expert Claims Brushing Teeth More Often Could Help Ward Off COVID-19

COVID-19 continues to spread, so experts and governments worldwide continue to look for ways to prevent it from spreading further. A dentistry professor claims that brushing the teeth more often, especially before leaving the house, could ward off COVID-19 as the toothpaste and mouthwash have the same antibacterial properties as hand sanitizers.

That means it could also remove particles in the mouth, one mode of transmission for COVID-19. Science Times reported last May that talking loudly can spread more than 1,000 coronavirus particles in the air for 14 minutes, according to a study by a team from the University of Pennsylvania with the US National Institute of Health, who conducted the study.

In that sense, governments are encouraged to promote brushing the teeth at least twice a day, MailOnline reported.

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Brushing Teeth More Often would Help Ward Off COVID-19 Expert Claims

Antibacterial Elements in Toothpaste Help Eliminate Coronavirus

Professor Martin Addy, a dentistry professor at the University of Bristol, said that toothpaste has the same antibacterial elements as hand sanitizers.

"The antimicrobial action of toothpaste in the mouth persists for three to five hours and, thereby, would reduce the viral load in saliva or infection by viruses entering the mouth," Professor Addy said.

He added that brushing teeth should be focused on going out of their homes before shopping or doing an exercise. Also, the frequency of brushing teeth should be increased.

Another oral health expert Michael Lewis, a professor of oral medicine at Cardiff, agrees to this and said that brushing the teeth for four minutes a day can clean the teeth.

Research has already proven that poor oral hygiene could influence oral infection, and COVID-19 is no different from them, Lewis added. Therefore, the public should appreciate the importance of oral hygiene, Independent news reported.

Since COVID-19 is spread through saliva, social distancing is a must. Additionally, maintaining good oral health by using toothpaste and mouthwash could also impact the ability of COVID-19 to spread.

In theory, Professor Addy's suggestion would make coronavirus less likely to cause illness to many more people. But more research is still needed to confirm this.

Experts said that cutting down the dose of the virus that the person is exposed to reduces their risk of getting infected. That is why Professor Addy urged governments to encourage people to brush their teeth more often.

Is This Proven, and What Do Other Experts Say?

Professor Addy did not detail which chemicals in the toothpaste have the protective agents against coronavirus. But most toothp[taste contains Triclosan, which is an antibacterial agent also added in the majority of soaps. However, Triclosan is a controversial chemical that has been banned by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2016.

Despite claims of toothpaste and mouthwash stopping coronavirus spread, scientific bodies like the NHS or the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to Paul Hunter, a medicine professor at the University of East Anglia, proving that regular brushing of teeth does not protect against COVID-19 could be challenging. In February, the WHO already criticized the notion that mouthwash can protect anyone from COVID-19, although it can eliminate certain microbes in the saliva in the mouth.