Coronavirus viruses are circulating in India at a frightening pace, and it is presently well evidenced that a person can be re-infected after having healed once. While vaccines have been confirmed to be efficient as a preventive action, experts believe that even they can’t assure 100 percent protection in all circumstances, at all times. So, accuracy becomes necessary for those who have not caught the disease yet and those who have now healed.
Dentists believe that a person who has lately recovered from Covid-19 should quickly change their toothbrush after recovery. This guards the person against possibilities of re-infection and protects others who use the same washroom in the home.”If you or anyone in your family and friend circle have contracted Covid-19, once recovered, please ensure to change your toothbrush, tongue cleaner, etc. These can harbor the virus, and they should be discarded,” said Dr. Pravesh Mehra, HOD Dental Surgery, said.
“We are advising the same to Covid-19 patients too. If you have contracted Covid-19, you should change your toothbrush and tongue cleaner after 20 days of getting the first symptoms,” Dr. Bhumika Madan said. She explained that this is because bacteria build-up overtime on toothbrushes is recognized to produce upper respiratory tract infections.”As a prevention, we prescribe using mouthwash and betadine gargle that helps in reducing the build-up of virus/bacteria in the mouth. If mouthwash is not available, rinsing the mouth with warm saline water also works fine. Apart from this, one must maintain oral hygiene and brush twice a day,” Dr. Madan said.
Dr. Bhumika Madan, Consultant (Dental), Aakash Healthcare Super Speciality Hospital, said she normally supports changing toothbrush and tongue cleaners to anyone who has healed from seasonal flu, cough, and cold. The importance of oral hygiene and changing toothbrush and tongue cleaner after recovering from Covid-19 can be properly understood once we know how SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing Covid-19, spreads.
According to the WHO, the virus primarily spreads through small droplets that come out from an infected person’s mouth when they cough, sneeze, shout, talk, laugh, etc. People may also get affected by touching surfaces that have been infected by the virus, and then touching their eyes, nose, or mouth without cleaning their hands. the virus has also been recognized to be airborne which was once released from an infected person, it can remain in the air for some time and get transmitted. The transmission would be faster in congested places and areas with poor ventilation.
In this backdrop, the toothbrush and tongue cleaner of an infected person is expected to have a notable concentration of the virus. Extended use of the same products can occur in re-infection and infect others. If someone in your family has caught Covid-19, it is also important NOT to keep toiletry products(toothbrush, tongue cleaner, etc.) of the household together as it raises the possibilities of transmission. Experts also recommend Covid-19 patients dry and sanitize their toothbrush and tongue cleaner for protection.
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In January this year, researchers in Brazil brought out a study to know the influence of oral sanitation on Covid-19 transmission. The study urged that disinfecting toothbrushes should be part of oral hygiene as it would help in decreasing infections. The study was declared in the Journal of Infectious Diseases and stressed that toothbrushes can “act as reservoirs for microorganisms” that can quickly spread the disease from the infected person to others. These references, the researchers said, employed principally to Covid-19 patients without symptoms.
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