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How does Oil Pulling Work?

Oil pulling has been used as an Indian folk remedy for years. In the past 2-3 years it has become much more common in Europe and the USA. People who oil pull report some great dental health benefits, from preventing tooth decay, to strengthening gums, whiter teeth, tightening up loose teeth, and even preventing bad breath. Consumers are also reporting extremely positive changes in overall health.

The practice of oil pulling is simply taking a tablespoon of oil - sesame seems to be the preferred choice, though people have reported excellent results with coconut oil, sunflower, virgin olive oil, and other nut oils, and pulling it continuously through the teeth, for about 15-20 minutes until the oil turns completely white. The oil is then spat out and carefully disposed off - the practitioners warn that the oil is now loaded with "toxins" and can cause environmental damage is not disposed of carefully.

How Effective is Oil Pulling?

Consumers report all sorts of dental health benefits, and some report general health benefits as well, including greater energy and 'curing' of unknown fatigue and aches and pains. While oil pulling undoubtedly has a host of extremely beneficial reported benefits, where is the scientific proof that it works? How can pulling oil through the mouth have all the great benefits for so many people?

Scientific Proof for Oil Pulling
One would hardly expect oil pulling to have rigorous double blind scientific testing on thousands of people for a treatment that won't earn any money for anyone. However, there is one scientific study performed in India that looks at the effect of oil pulling on the count of Streptococcus mutans in plaque and saliva of children, using the Dentocult SM Strip mutans test, and to compare its efficacy with that of chlorhexidine mouthwash. The chlorhexidine mouthwash is the most common dental agent used to combat Streptococcus mutans.
The study measured twenty age-matched adolescent boys who were divided randomly into two groups: the control or chlorhexidine group and the study or oil pulling group. The study showed that there was indeed a substantial reduction in the S. mutans count in the plaque and saliva samples of both the study and the control groups.

According to the report "In the saliva samples, significant reduction in S. mutans count was seen in the control group at 48 h, 1 week, and 2 weeks (P = 0.02, P = 0.02, P = 0.008, respectively).

Effect of oil pulling on Streptococcus mutans count in plaque and saliva using Dentocult SM Strip mutans test: A randomized, controlled, triple-blind study

S Asokan, J Rathan, MS Muthu, Prabhu V Rathna, P Emmadi, Raghuraman, Chamundeswari
1 Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Meenakshi Ammal Dental College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
2 Department of Periodontics, Meenakshi Ammal Dental College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
3 Department of Microbiology, Meenakshi Ammal Dental College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India