Colgate laboratory tests show toothpaste and mouthwash inactivate 99.9 per cent of the virus that causes Covid-19

Laboratory studies show that toothpastes containing zinc or stannous and mouthwash formulas with cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) neutralise the virus that causes Covid-19 by 99.9 per cent. The studies are part of a Colgate research program that includes clinical studies among infected people to assess the efficacy of oral care products in reducing the amount of the virus in the mouth, potentially slowing the transmission of the Covid-19 virus.

In the laboratory studies – the first to include toothpaste – Colgate Total and Meridol toothpaste neutralised 99.9 per cent of the virus after two minutes of contact. Colgate Plax, Colgate Total and Colgate Zero mouthwashes were similarly effective after 30 seconds. The studies, completed in October, were conducted in partnership with Rutgers University’s Public Health Research Institute and Regional Biosafety Laboratories.

The results suggest that some toothpastes and mouthwashes may help reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, by temporarily reducing the amount of virus in the mouth. The virus spreads through respiratory droplets or small particles produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, sings, talks, or breathes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.