Use of Chlorhexidine as an effective tool to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2 transmission: A Mini Review

The COVID-19 crisis, with its rapid spread and devastating effects on world economics, also had a crippling effect on health care systems that were already overburdened especially in a developing country like India which is in the midst of a second COVID-19 wave. Dentists particularly are among the most-at risk group of healthcare professionals. Their use of equipment like a dental drill, dental scaler etc., release aerosols that could be contaminated by the microbial flora from the infected patient’s oral cavity, thus, putting the dentist at risk. In such a setting, it would be prudent to use prophylactic measures. The six-decade-old Chlorhexidine (CHX) mouthwash with low toxicity and good broad-spectrum activity against bacteria, fungi and enveloped viruses could prove useful just before a dental procedure. The few completed studies of Chlorhexidine use in SARS-CoV-2 patients to reduce viral load show promising results. Hence, Chlorhexidine could be beneficial as a prophylactic measure for both asymptomatic and symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 patients due to its ability to target and reduce the viral load so that they do not contribute in further spreading of the virus. Moreover, CHX could be used on a regular basis to improve oral hygiene. Keywords Chlorhexidine (CHX), Covid-19, Dentists, Oral mouthwash, Saliva, SARS‐CoV‐2, Viral loadThe COVID-19 crisis, with its rapid spread and devastating effects on world economics, also had a crippling effect on health care systems that were already overburdened especially in a developing country like India which is in the midst of a second COVID-19 wave. Dentists particularly are among the most-at risk group of healthcare professionals. Their use of equipment like a dental drill, dental scaler etc., release aerosols that could be contaminated by the microbial flora from the infected patient’s oral cavity, thus, putting the dentist at risk. In such a setting, it would be prudent to use prophylactic measures. The six-decade-old Chlorhexidine (CHX) mouthwash with low toxicity and good broad-spectrum activity against bacteria, fungi and enveloped viruses could prove useful just before a dental procedure. The few completed studies of Chlorhexidine use in SARS-CoV-2 patients to reduce viral load show promising results. Hence, Chlorhexidine could be beneficial as a prophylactic measure for both asymptomatic and symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 patients due to its ability to target and reduce the viral load so that they do not contribute in further spreading of the virus. Moreover, CHX could be used on a regular basis to improve oral hygiene. Keywords Chlorhexidine (CHX), Covid-19, Dentists, Oral mouthwash, Saliva, SARS‐CoV‐2, Viral load