Andrew Tsai
| Andrew Tsai |
Andrew Tsai, Michelle Shuster
Patricia, M Corby
Center of Clinical and Translational Research, University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine
Introduction
Dental professionals are at an increased risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 due to their prolonged exposure to infectious patients, proximity of working spaces and prevalence of aerosol generating procedures. In particular, SARS-CoV-2 transmission has been demonstrated through contact with infected saliva droplets. Usage of antiseptic mouth rinses have been identified as a potential way to reduce the possibility of infection in a dental setting. In this review, we aimed to examine the possible application of a 0.5% (w/v) povidone-iodine mouthwash/gargle to serve as an effective adjunct to existing infection control protocols.
Methods
An electronic search was performed in Medline (via Pubmed) and Embase using the MeSH terms “Povidone-Iodine” AND “COVID-19” from January 2019 to March 2022. 179 articles were identified and 20 were selected based on search criteria and selection of in vivo, in vitro, and systematic review studies pertaining to dental usage only.
Results
In vitro virucidal effects and virus inactivation with 0.5% PVP-I oral rinse has been demonstrated across seven examined in vitro studies and three examined systematic reviews. A minimum effective contact time of 15 seconds was noted in three of the examined in vitro studies. No safety contraindications using 0.5% concentration mouthwash was noted in an observational study with a sample size of 4321 subjects. Efficacy has not been sufficiently demonstrated in a large enough sample of randomized control trials at this time.
Conclusion
According to existing literature, 0.5% povidone-iodine mouthwash has the potential to be a safe, affordable, and effective preventive therapy to rapidly inactivate the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Despite the evidence of the benefits of povidone-iodine to prevent COVID 19 transmission, additional protective measures should remain in place to reduce the risk of infection in dental operatory settings.