Brushing Your Teeth Whenever You Leave Home 'May Help Ward Off Covid-19' - Expert Claims

Brushing your teeth whenever you leave your home may help ward off Covid-19, a dentistry professor has claimed.

Professor Martin Addy, of the University of Bristol, argued toothpaste has the same chemicals as antibacterial hand gel.

This, he claimed, could kill the coronavirus if it enters through the mouth, stopping it from replicating and causing illness. It could protect others by cutting down the viral load in the mouth, which research has suggested may be linked to how contagious a person is.  

Transmission of the coronavirus between people is mostly through droplets from coughing or sneezing, which can be picked up from surfaces. But the virus doesn't only cause an infection through the mouth — it can enter the body through the nose and eyes, doctors say.

Professor Addy claimed people should brush their teeth every time they leave their home, such as when they do their food shop or exercise. 

And he called for the Government to encourage the public to clean their teeth more often in the same way as they recommend face-mask wearing and hand washing. 

Mouthwashing has also been suggested to remove viral particles from the mouth and prevent an infectious person from spreading it to others.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Professor Addy said: 'Toothpaste contains the same detergents as those found in handwash gels recommended.

'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.' 

He added: 'For the vast majority, the timing of tooth brushing should be focused when they are about to go out of their homes for exercise or shopping.