• The Sepa Joven 2021 congress stresses the importance of the mouth during the pandemic and the antiviral efficacy of some mouthwashes containing Cetylpyridinium Chloride (CPC) as a potential tool to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission

• Oral health affects people’s general health, and the mouth is a route of entry and transmission of microorganisms that can multiply and trigger infections at the systemic level.

• Dr Nuria Izquierdo-Useros and Ernesto de la Puente unveil the most conclusive results of the studies carried out so far on the efficacy of CPC

Barcelona, 08 March 2021.- At the Sepa Joven 2021 congress, a leading interdisciplinary meeting organised by the Spanish Society of Periodontology and Osseointegration (SEPA), emphasis was placed on the importance of the mouth as a source of SARS-CoV2 transmission and infection. Therefore, it is essential to reinforce oral health care to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. A preclinical study carried out on laboratory-grown cells has demonstrated the antiviral effect of certain mouthwashes with Cetylpyridinium Chloride (CPC), a molecule contained in some oral antiseptics. Specifically, this component is capable of reducing SARS CoV-2 infectivity by up to 1,000 times in laboratory cell cultures.   

This is one of the main messages shared by Dr Nuria Izquierdo-Useros, coordinator of the preclinical study and principal investigator of the PISTA group at IrsiCaixa, during Sepa Joven 2021, an event attended online by more than 9,000 dentistry professionals and endorsed by multiple universities and scientific societies. As Dr Miguel Carasol, scientific coordinator of the SEPA Working Groups, has underscored, “at the present time, it would be very interesting to be able to offer oral hygiene resources to the general public that, in addition to exerting their known positive effects on the health of the mouth, could also reduce viral load and therefore possibly provide protection against the risk of transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19”.

CPC, proven antiviral effect

During her presentation, Dr Izquierdo-Useros examined the results of this study carried out in the laboratory by the research staff of the PISTA group at IrsiCaixa, in collaboration with the DENTAID Research Center, which verified that CPC has a clear antiviral role. This allows the research team to move forward and conduct an efficacy trial in humans to study whether the use of CPC mouthwashes may help control microorganisms in the oral cavity and reduce oral pathogens. "Considering that in the experiment we used a greater amount of virus than that found in the oral cavity of infected people, these results are very encouraging", the investigator noted.

"The next step is to learn the results of the efficacy trial in humans, which is already underway, which will tell us if the molecule reduces viral load in the saliva of people infected by SARS-CoV-2”, Dr Izquierdo-Useros points out.

Moreover, during his speech at Sepa Joven, Ernesto de la Puente, DENTAID's Medical Training Manager, emphasised that the mouth is not an isolated system, but rather affects people's overall health. As De la Puente explained, "the mouth is a route of entry and transmission of microorganisms, which can multiply and cause infections in situ and at the systemic level."

For this reason, experts have insisted on the need for good oral hygiene, because it can help prevent the development of infectious diseases like COVID-19. In this sense, they highlight the importance of good oral health as a preventive measure and point to the need to include it in the currently recommended set of basic prevention measures.