The faculties of Dentistry and Tropical Medicine at Thailand’s Mahidol University claim to have jointly developed a mouthwash formula which is 99% effective at killing the COVID-19 virus in the mouth, preventing it from replicating in human cells.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Surakit Visutthiwattanakorn, director of the dental hospital of the Faculty of Dentistry, said today (Monday) that the mouthwash is an extension of one produced from natural extracts from Thai rice, used in the treatment of mouth ulcers, adding that the Institute of Technology and Innovation Management of Mahidol University is now in the process of applying to the Department of Intellectual Property Rights for a patent.
He assured the public that the mouthwash is safe, has no side effects on oral tissue and will help reduce the risk of infections.
Meanwhile, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Saranya Tancharoen, chief of the pharmacology department and a member of the mouthwash research team, said that it contains the right and safe dose of hydrogen peroxide and other compounds which do not irritate the inside of the mouth.
She said that the mouthwash has undergone laboratory controlled human trials among patients in the dental hospital, claiming that it is 99.9% effective in preventing the spread of coronavirus in the body, by breaking down the fatty layer of the virus, thus deactivating it.
“For instance, if there are 100,000 viruses in the mouth, this innovation can reduce the virus load to just 41,” she claimed, adding that the new mouthwash will be put on trial in field hospitals and other treatment facilities.
The research team is being led by Dr. Saranya, Dr. Pornsawan Leaungwutiwong, head of the virology and immunology department and Asst. Prof Akanitt Jittmittraphap of the department of virology and immunology of the Faculty of Tropical Medicine at the university.
Source: Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS)