Sir, I wish to report on the experience of the routine use of 0.5% povidone iodine (PVP-I) mouthwashes and nasal sprays in 6,000 consecutive dental patients, all of whom were notified of the need to use a mouthwash and nasal spray before dental treatment and of possible exclusions on the grounds of a history of allergy to iodine. Three patients were excluded.

The mouthwash was taken in the prescribed manner; held and moved round the mouth for 60 seconds and spat out into a plastic beaker. All patients consented to use of the mouthwash. There were no complaints of taste or procedure and no reports of any adverse reactions. All staff felt more relaxed about providing dental treatment with patients using such an effective antiviral mouthwash. We understand that research is being undertaken to determine the duration of the virucidal activity in the mouth, with preliminary indications that this might be up to two hours. If safety rather than effectiveness is the reason that august UK bodies have not yet enthusiastically endorsed the use of pre-operative mouthwashes, we hope that information from practice may help.