In addition to wearing a mask and maintaining social distance, they propose establishing tooth brushing as an efficient preventive measure against the coronavirus. The antimicrobial action of toothpaste in the mouth persists for three to five hours and, therefore, would reduce the viral load in saliva or infection by viruses that enter the mouth, they argue from the University of Bristol. "Tooth brushing should be concentrated when people are about to leave their homes, be it to exercise or to shop. In general, the frequency of tooth brushing should be increased," Professor Martin Addy tells The Telegraph. Transmission of the coronavirus between people occurs mainly through droplets emitted by coughing or sneezing. But the virus not only causes an infection through the mouth, it can enter the body through the nose and eyes, doctors warn. Researchers say that reducing the dose of virus to which a person is exposed can decrease the risk and severity of the disease. And the amount of exposure to the virus at the onset of infection is also related to a higher viral load, which is related to how infectious a person is to others. It is not the first time that Professor Addy has promoted the idea of ​​brushing your teeth more frequently to reduce the risk of COVID-19. “From my own knowledge and listening to the experts, a major source of drops is derived from saliva. Therefore, we must promote more oral hygiene, through brushing with toothpaste, in the preventive approach of COVID-19, "he said. “Most toothpastes contain cleaning agents, which confer significant antimicrobial properties to the product. In fact, the same components are present in many hand washing formulations, recommended against the coronavirus ”, he expressed without identifying any in particular. Mouthwashes used to rinse the mouth could also reduce germs in sprays. "However, this does not mean that they protect against 2019-nCoV infection," the WHO said, before the coronavirus received its formal name of COVID-19.