Source 11

As a follow up to the article that I read and posted on oil pulling therapy, I ran across another article that discusses the validity of this practice.
Oil pulling or oil swishing, in alternative medicine is a procedure that involves swishing oil in the mouth for oral and systemic health benefits. It is mentioned in the Ayurvedic text where it is called Kavala Gandoosha/Kavala Graha and is claimed to cure about 30 systemic diseases ranging from headache and migraine to diabetes and asthma. Oil pulling has been used extensively as a traditional Indian folk remedy for many years to prevent decay, oral malodor, bleeding gums, dryness of the throat, and cracked lips and for strengthening teeth, gums, and the jaw.

Oil pulling therapy can be done using edible oils like sunflower or sesame oil. Sesame oil is considered to be the queen of oil seed crops because of its beneficiary effects.

For oil pulling therapy, a tablespoon (or teaspoon for children between 5-15 years of age) of sesame oil is given in the mouth and is sipped, sucked, and pulled between the teeth for 10 to 15 minutes. The viscous oil turns thin and milky white. The oil should not be swallowed as it contains bacteria and toxins. Oil pulling therapy should be followed by brushing the teeth and is preferably done on an empty stomach in the morning.

There is no literature or scientific proof to accept oil pulling therapy as preventive adjunct. Online searches in pubmed and other databases do not provide any scientific articles on oil pulling therapy except for testimonies and literature on personal experiences. The study was planned with the following aims and objectives:
1)To evaluate the effect of oil pulling with sesame oil on plaque-induced gingivitis
2)To compare the efficacy of oil pulling with the use of chlorhexidine mouthwash on plaque-induced gingivitis


Amith, Ankola and Nagesh showed that oil pulling therapy with sunflower oil significantly reduced plaque scores after 45 days. In this study, there was a significant reduction in the plaque index and modified gingival index scores after oil pulling therapy. There was a considerable reduction in the colony count of microorganisms but it was not statistically significant. Hence, in this study, oil pulling therapy was very effective against plaque-induced gingivitis both in the clinical and microbiological assessment.
The exact mechanism of the action of oil pulling therapy is not clear. It was claimed that the swishing activates the enzymes and draws the toxins out of the blood. The bottom line is that oil pulling actually cannot pull toxins out of the blood as claimed because the oral mucosa does not act as a semi-permeable membrane to allow toxins to pass through. Sesame oil has three lignans that have antioxidant properties and potentiate Vitamin E action. Sesame oil has increased polyunsaturated fatty acids and the lipid peroxidation is reduced thereby reducing free radical injury to the tissues. The mechanism by which oil pulling therapy causes plaque inhibition is not known. The viscosity of the oil probably inhibits bacterial adhesion and plaque co-aggregation. The other possible mechanism might be the saponification or the 'soap-making' process that occurs as a result of the alkali hydrolysis of fat.

In this study, oil pulling therapy has been as equally effective as chlorhexidine (mouthwash) against plaque-induced gingivitis. Sesame oil has the following advantages over chlorhexidine: no staining
no lingering after-taste
and no allergy.
Sesame oil is 5 to 6 times more cost effective than chlorhexidine
And is readily available in most households.
There are no disadvantages for oil pulling therapy except for the extended duration of the procedure compared with chlorhexidine.

The following conclusions were derived from this study:

1)A statistically significant reduction in the plaque index score was seen in both the oil pulling and chlorhexidine groups (Mouthwash)(P < 0.05 in both groups).
2)A statistically significant reduction in the modified gingival index score was seen in both the oil pulling and chlorhexidine groups (P < 0.05 in both groups).
3)A considerable reduction in the total colony count of the microorganisms was seen in the plaque sample in both groups. Though the reduction was more in the oil pulling group, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups.

Oil pulling therapy promises to be a better preventive home therapy in developing countries like India.

The other article I read just discussed the process of oil pulling therapy, but this actually dived into whether it was plausible. It seems that oil pulling really does work. When compared to mouth washes, oil pulling does resolves similar problems, but with additional bonuses.The last comment they made probably is true though, "Oil pulling therapy promises to be a better preventive home therapy in developing countries like India". Since it is such a cheap product, it can be easily accessed. The only draw back is that you have to gargle for 10-15 minutes, which most Americans would probably not be willing to do. Normal mouth washes only require 30-60 seconds. If it is all you have though, you probably are much more likely to use it. Because this process works, I would expect to see a majority of the people in India to use it, assuming they know about it. But I would assume they would since it is a part of the Ayurveda. It will be interesting to see if it is used and how it relates to caring for their oral hygiene.