October 7, 2024
Curious about oil pulling? You’re not the only one. Currently sitting at just over 40k posts, #oilpulling has been trending on TikTok over the past year.
What is oil pulling?
Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic procedure which has been practiced in southern India for centuries. The classic procedure is to swish with a tablespoon of oil, pulling it between your teeth, first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. The pulling continues for about 20 minutes until the oil is thin and milky in color, and then expectorated. After oil pulling, the mouth should be rinsed with water and the teeth cleaned with your finger. 1
In modern times, there is a lot more variability depending on where you get your instructions. The frequency ranges anywhere from multiple times daily, to a few times a week, to as infrequently as less than once per month. The duration of pulling may be as short as 5 minutes to as long as 20 minutes, with many simply recommending pulling the oil for as long as you can tolerate it. Finally, the oil used for the practice can be any food grade oil. Coconut and sesame oil are among the most popular, with olive and sunflower seed oils also being common choices.
Is oil pulling safe?
Simply stated, yes, pulling a food grade oil between your teeth for up to 20 minutes and then expectorating the liquid is completely safe. That said, some of the DIY concoctions circulating the internet may not be. Improperly dosing essential oils, even food grade essential oils, can have adverse effects ranging from irritation to allergic reactions. 2 The safest approach is to stick with edible oils from the grocery store or to purchase commercial pulling oils formulated by trained professionals.
What are the benefits of oil pulling?
Oil pulling has been practiced for centuries and is believed to both detoxify the mouth and treat myriad systemic diseases. Tooth whitening is one of the reported benefits that is driving this trend on TikTok. However, according to the ADA, “there are no reliable scientific studies to show that oil pulling reduces cavities, whitens teeth or improves oral health and well-being.” 3
The truth may be a little more nuanced. Oil pulling may not be an effective alternative to daily toothbrushing with a fluoride toothpaste, however, there is clinical evidence that there are potential benefits of incorporating oil pulling as an additional step to your existing oral care routine.
- Kaliamoorthy et al investigated the impact of oil pulling with coconut oil or sesame oil on gingivitis. At the conclusion of the 3 week study, they found that pulling with coconut oil in addition to regular toothbrushing had a significant reduction in gingivitis scores (MGI) compared to toothbrushing alone. 4
- Asokan et al investigated the impact of oil pulling on Streptococcus mutans levels in both plaque and saliva over a 6 month period. S. mutans is an acid-producing bacteria that is associated with dental decay and cavities. Although there was no observed reduction in decayed or missing teeth over the course of the study, the examiners did observe a significant decrease in S. mutans counts in both plaque and saliva among the population that practiced oil pulling compared to the control group that practiced daily toothbrushing only. 5
These open access peer-reviewed journal articles are just two of many scientific studies that have been published examining potential oral health benefits of oil pulling. There are published studies on treating xerostomia (dry mouth), halitosis (bad breath), and more but many of these studies are very small, lack appropriate controls, or have other shortcomings. More in depth reviews have been done by Shanbhag or Woolley et al. 6,7
The proposed mechanism of action is reported to be (1) that oil pulling generates antioxidants and (2) that the oil interacts with the lipid layer of bacterial cell walls causing them to be expelled with the oil. 6 If correct, this would support the potential for oil pulling therapy to prevent oral conditions such as tooth decay and inflammation. However, the consensus is that additional studies are needed.
Healthy Oral Microbiome
Antiseptic mouthwashes are under fire. Earlier this year, Health & Wellness podcaster Andrew Huberman published an episode on oral health. Dr. Huberman prefaced the episode by declaring the oral microbiome is so important that he decided to add oral health as the seventh pillar to his “Six Pillars of Mental Health, Physical Health, and Performance.” Later in the episode, Dr. Huberman stated that many mouthwashes, including those containing alcohol or antiseptic ingredients, may be more harmful than beneficial to oral health because they disrupt the healthy components of the oral microbiome. 8 This conclusion is supported by mounting research that destruction of the oral microbial community is directly linked to multiple human systemic diseases. 9
Conclusion
Daily oil pulling before morning toothbrushing may be an alternative to using an antiseptic mouthwash. Further studies are needed to better understand if this practice is an effective method to cleanse the oral cavity and how it impacts the oral microbiome. The practice of oil pulling also has some notable downsides such as mouthfeel and lengthy duration which can discourage compliance. These downsides may be overcome as research on the practice evolves and more consumer products are developed.
References
- Ballal, V. Oil therapy. Br Dent J 207, 193 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2009.772
- Radu CM, Radu CC, Bochiș SA, et al. Revisiting the Therapeutic Effects of Essential Oils on the Oral Microbiome. Pharmacy (Basel). 2023;11(1):33. Published 2023 Feb 10. doi:10.3390/pharmacy11010033
- ADA (n.d.). Oil Pulling. MouthHealthy. Retrieved September 23, 2024, from https://www.mouthhealthy.org/all-topics-a-z/oil-pulling
- Kaliamoorthy S, Pazhani A, Nagarajan M, Meyyappan A, Rayar S, Mathivanan S. Comparing the effect of coconut oil pulling practice with oil pulling using sesame oil in plaque-induced gingivitis: A prospective comparative interventional study. J Nat Sc Biol Med 2018;9:165-8.
- Asokan, S., Rathan, J., Muthu, M. S., Rathna, P. V., Emmadi, P., Raghuraman, & Chamundeswari (2008). Effect of oil pulling on Streptococcus mutans count in plaque and saliva using Dentocult SM Strip mutans test: a randomized, controlled, triple-blind study. Journal of the Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, 26(1), 12–17. https://doi.org/10.4103/0970-4388.40315
- Shanbhag V. K. (2016). Oil pulling for maintaining oral hygiene – A review. Journal of traditional and complementary medicine, 7(1), 106–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcme.2016.05.004
- Woolley, J., Gibbons, T., Patel, K., & Sacco, R. (2020). The effect of oil pulling with coconut oil to improve dental hygiene and oral health: A systematic review. Heliyon, 6(8), e04789. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04789
- [Andrew Huberman]. (2024, February 12). How to Improve Oral Health & Its Critical Role in Brain & Body Health [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVCaYyUWWSw
- Peng, X., Cheng, L., You, Y., Tang, C., Ren, B., Li, Y., Xu, X., & Zhou, X. (2022). Oral microbiota in human systematic diseases. International journal of oral science, 14(1), 14. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41368-022-00163-7