Inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 through Treatment with the Mouth Rinsing Solutions ViruProX(®) and BacterX(®) Pro

Koch-Heier, Julia; Hoffmann, Helen; Schindler, Michael; Lussi, Adrian; Planz, Oliver

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic effects daily dental work. Therefore, infection control measures are necessary to prevent infection of dental personnel during dental treatments. The use of a preprocedural mouth rinse with chlorhexidine (CHX), cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), or hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) solution for 30–60 s may reduce the viral load and may protect the personnel in a dental practice. In the present study the virucidal effect of the mouth rinsing solutions ViruProX(®) with 0.05% CPC and 1.5% H(2)O(2) and BacterX(®) pro containing 0.1% CHX, 0.05% CPC, and 0.005% sodium fluoride (F(-)) was investigated in vitro. The mouth rinsing solutions successfully inactivated infectious SARS-CoV-2 particles, the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), within 30 s. To determine the effective components, CHX, CPC, H(2)O(2), and a combination of CHX and CPC, were tested against SARS-CoV-2 in addition. While a combination of CPC and CHX as well as CPC alone led to a significant reduction of infectious viral particles, H(2)O(2) and CHX alone had no virucidal effect against SARS-CoV-2. It can be assumed that preprocedural rinsing of the mouth with ViruProX(®) or BacterX(®) pro will reduce the viral load in the oral cavity and could thus lower the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in dental practice.