Antibacterial mouthwash to prevent sexually transmitted infections in men who have sex with men taking HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PReGo): a randomised, placebo-controlled, crossover trial
This double-blind crossover RCT (terminated prematurely due to Covid-19 pandemic; 151 completed the entire study) found Listerine Cool Mint did not reduce the combined incidence of syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhoea compared to mouthwash placebo, in this high-risk population.
Source:
The Lancet Infectious Diseases
SPS commentary:
A Comment discusses the results of this study and those of the OMEGA study, which found no benefit for Listerine mouthwash over Biotene mouthwash in reducing the incidence of oropharyngeal Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection in men who have sex with men. It discusses their limitations and concludes that they show that “more research is required to find safe and effective antiseptic interventions against the rising epidemics of bacterial STIs and the emergence of antimicrobial resistance.”