Use of preoperative mouthwash during the pandemic: report of the Dental Clinic

Abstract

The angiotensin-converting enzyme receptor 2, the main target of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is abundant in the oral cavity, making it a reservoir for the pathogenicity of the COVID-19 disease. Thus, the use of mouthwash prior to dental care has been adopted by several institutions, with chlorhexidine, cetylpyridinium chloride, povidone-iodine, and hydrogen peroxide being the most commonly described solutions. The objective is to report the experience of the Maringá State University Dental Clinic (COD-UEM) as to the adoption of a protocol for the use of mouthwash in practical activities during the pandemic. Although there are no recommendations from the Ministries of Health, the World Health Organization or scientific evidence that this practice acts preventively, as in other services, the COD-UEM, in the biosafety protocol of the plan to resume undergraduate clinical activities during the pandemic, started to adopt mouthrinses with chlorhexidine 0.12%, which can be replaced by hydrogen peroxide 1% or povidone-iodine. It was concluded, based on the experience described, that despite the scarcity of scientific evidence, the use of mouth rinses is a resource often used to reduce the number of microorganisms in the oral cavity during treatment, and it is important to consider its use until further research is conducted.