Swish, spit, repeat: Is oil pulling good for your teeth?

Oil pulling has been said to prevent gingivitis, cavities and gum recession, whiten teeth, and promote a healthy oral microbiome - some dental professionals are skeptical. Photo / Derek Brahney, The New York Times

It has been said to reduce cavities, whiten teeth and minimise bad breath. Here’s what the research suggests.

In a video on TikTok, a woman scoops a heaping spoonful of solid coconut oil out of a jar and stuffs it into her mouth. She explains how she swishes the oil around – pushing and pulling it between her teeth – for about 10 minutes. Then, she spits it into the trash. She does this two to three times a week, she said.

The practice, called oil pulling, has roots in the ancient Indian medical system known as Ayurveda, and typically involves swishing an edible oil such as coconut, olive, sunflower or sesame oil around in the mouth for five to 20 minutes, and then spitting it out. It has been said to prevent gingivitis, cavities and gum recession, whiten teeth, and promote a healthy oral microbiome.

Some dental professionals are sceptical. “There is no scientific proof of any benefits of oil pulling,” said Dr Parul Dua Makkar, a dentist in Jericho, New York. “I don’t recommend it at all.”

The rationale

It’s reasonable to think that swishing oil around your mouth could help your oral health. In theory, the viscous properties of oil could coat the surfaces of the mouth, preventing bacteria from adhering and growing there, said Dr Deborah Foyle, a periodontist at Texas A&M University School of Dentistry.

The antioxidant properties of the oil could also hypothetically interact with bad bacteria in ways that could slow their growth and reduce gum inflammation, she noted.

But it’s unclear if this would boost oral health. In a 2022 analysis of nine small clinical trials, researchers concluded that oil pulling could indeed help reduce the bacteria in the mouth, but that it does not reduce plaque (the sticky film of bacteria that adheres to teeth), gum redness, inflammation or bleeding.

A few other studies on oil pulling suggest potential benefits, such as reducing bad breath, but they have been small and were poorly designed, Foyle said, so it’s hard to draw conclusions from them.

According to the American Dental Association, which does not condone the practice, there are “no reliable scientific studies to show that oil pulling reduces cavities, whitens teeth or improves oral health and well-being.”

The risks

Although oil pulling is unlikely to be dangerous, it can come with some downsides, said Dr Mark S. Wolff, a restorative dentist at Penn Dental Medicine. Oil pulling is often recommended to be done on an empty stomach, in part so that there will be less food in your mouth for the oil to interact with. If any oil is swallowed, he said, it could cause an upset stomach.

Because coconut oil solidifies at room temperature, people who spit the oil into their sink could also end up with a clogged drain, he added.

Oil pulling can be a waste of time, too, Wolff said. When you’re swishing something around in your mouth, “five minutes is a long time,” he said. “Twenty minutes is an incredibly long time.” Perhaps the practice provided health benefits in centuries past, when people didn’t have toothbrushes and toothpaste, Makkar said, but now we don’t need it.

If you want to try oil pulling anyway – Wolff tried it once himself – keep in mind that it should never be a substitute for brushing or flossing, as some proponents have suggested.

Makkar agreed. “People think that this an alternative to brushing and flossing when taking care of your teeth – this is untrue,” she said. “You can’t retire your toothbrush just yet.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Written by: Melinda Wenner Moyer

Photographs by: Derek Brahney

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