Oral care company Colgate-Palmolive stated on Thursday that toothpastes containing zinc or stannous and mouthwash formulas with cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) neutralize the virus that causes COVID-19 by 99.9% based on laboratory programme Rutgers NJMS.

The studies are part of a Colgate research programme 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. The study was led by Dr David Alland, Chief of Infectious Diseases and director of the Center for COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness.

In the laboratory studies, which were conducted in partnership with Rutgers New Jersey Medical School's (NJMS) Public Health Research Institute and Regional Biosafety Laboratories, Colgate Total and Meridol toothpastes neutralized 99.9% of the virus after two minutes of contact. Colgate Plax and Colgate Total mouthwashes were similarly effective after 30 seconds. The results suggest that some toothpastes and mouthwashes may help reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2 by temporarily reducing the amount of virus in the mouth.

In conjunction, the researchers plan to share their findings in December. Additional Colgate-supported clinical research studies on toothpaste and mouthwashes are in early stages at Rutgers, the Albert Einstein Institute in Sao Paulo, Brazil and at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Adams School of Dentistry, with some 260 people with COVID-19 participating in these studies.