Contrary to some of the recent buzz around mouthwash, a daily gargle is probably not going to protect you from the novel coronavirus.

Over the past several months, researchers in the United States and abroad have examined mouthwashes, oral antiseptics and nasal rinses in controlled laboratory settings to see whether they can effectively inactivate the new coronavirus and other viruses within the same family.

In a study published in the Journal of Medical Virology, the scientists wrote that their results suggest mouthwash could potentially decrease the risk of transmission of the novel coronavirus and “provide an additional level of protection.”.

“The data suggests that if you have virus in your mouth, it would kill it” and could reduce your ability to spread it to others, said Craig Meyers, the study’s lead researcher and a professor in the university’s departments of microbiology and immunology and obstetrics and gynecology.

But the findings do not necessarily mean using mouthwash or nasal rinses will protect you from getting infected, Rowan said.

First, the experiments were conducted in labs, and while attempts were made to mimic the environment of a human mouth, Kapila said those efforts don’t “really give you the full picture of what the virus might encounter” in living people.

“If people were to stop wearing masks and observing social distancing because they think having everyone gargle is going to prevent viral spread — and we don’t yet have evidence that that works — that could be a big mistake, and it would cause more disease and death,” she said.

National Library of Medicine that aim to evaluate the virus-killing abilities of various oral and nasal rinses in people who have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Stuart Gansky, one of the principal investigators on the UCSF trial, said he and his team are planning to assess whether using an oral rinse before a dental procedure works to reduce virus transmission.

The other part of the small pilot trial aims to see whether regular mouthwash use will improve symptoms for people who have the virus, Gansky said.

In the meantime, Gansky and other experts urged people to follow existing public health guidelines and usage recommendations on mouthwash products

“If it says rinse for 30 seconds and they’re using it 10 times a day and they’re using it for a minute at a time, there could be problems with their mucosa in their mouths and throats,” Gansky said