Effect of oil pulling on oral health-a microbiological study

Introduction: Oil pulling is an Ayurveda practice involving swishing of various types of oils in the mouth for oral and systemic health benefits. The effects of oil pulling has been studied with various oils such as sesame oil, coconut oil and sunflower oil. There are limited reports on assessment on the oral microbial status following oil pulling. Hence we aimed to evaluate the effect of oil pulling with coconut oil and compare its efficacy with chlorhexidine mouthwash. Materials and Method: A study was performed on 20 students between the age group of 19-23 years. They were randomly divided into the test or oil pulling group (Group 1, n=10) and positive control or chlorhexidine group (Group 2, n=10). Recording of the plaque index and microbial analysis of the baseline plaque samples was performed, before and after the oil pulling and use of chlorhexidine in study test and control group respectively. Results: Oil pulling therapy and use of chlorhexidine showed reduction in plaque formation and number of colony forming units. But there was no statistically significant difference in the values of plaque score and colony forming units. Conclusion: The chlorhexidine mouthwash and oil pulling with coconut oil produces near similar effects in terms of plaque formation and reduction of oral bacteria, hence oil pulling can be considered as an alternative in patients with allergy to chlorhexidine.