Study participants
comorbidity, throat, COPD
ADVERSE EVENTS, COPD, CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE
Forty patients (17 males and 23 females; mean age of 42.6 ± 14.2 years; range 18 – 74 years old), 10 in each group, with detectable SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in the baseline saliva samples were included in the analysis. Participants characteristics was similar among study groups (Table Characteristics of study participants (n = 40) according to intervention group.Seventeen (42.5%) participants were White British or any other White background; 9 (22.5%) were Black, Black British, Caribbean, African or any other Black background; 8 (20%) were Asian, Asian British, Indian, or any other Asian background; and 4 were considered mixed or from another (10%) ethnic group (Table Type of comorbidities among the study participants (n = 40), in the study groups. Participants could have more than one comorbidity.Entries are frequency (percentage). COPD—Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.All patients had their diagnosis confirmed, as standard of care at the respective hospitals, by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT- PCR) assays on material collected by combined nasal and throat swab. On average, the time from last COVID-19 positive test result to sample collection was 2 days (ranging from − 5 to 10 days). Meanwhile, the mean time from the onset of symptoms to the study visit and saliva sample collection was around 8 days (ranging from 3–18 days). Most patients included in this study were diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 variant Delta (lineage B.1.617.2). Among patients included in this study, only 17.5% were fully vaccinated (two doses) while 12.5% had the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. The remaining patients were unvaccinated (37.5%) or did not have data available on vaccination status (32.5%).In terms of oral hygiene habits, 57.5% reported using mouthwash as part of their oral hygiene routine at home. The time reported by patient from last oral hygiene (OH) before sample collection ranged from 30 min to 10 days. None of the patients reported any adverse events related to the use of investigated mouthwashes or any of study procedures.