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Oil pulling

Oil pulling is an Ayurvedic practice of swishing an edible oil, often sesame or coconut, around the mouth and spitting it out. Short trials suggest it may modestly improve gum scores and salivary bacteria counts, but it does not clearly reduce plaque more than usual care and is less effective than chlorhexidine mouthwash; the tradition's wider claim of whole-body detoxification is untested. No claim reaches moderate or high certainty because the trials are small, short and at high risk of bias, and the systematic reviews disagree. Rare case reports describe lipoid pneumonia from aspirated oil, and reviews describe the practice as an addition to brushing, not a replacement.

Evidence retrieved up to

What the research shows

Oil pulling for one to six weeks may slightly improve gingival index scores compared with non-chlorhexidine mouthwashes or usual oral hygiene in adults, but the evidence is very uncertain.

Very low certaintyThis is uncertain; treat it as a lead, not a finding.
Take care: see the safety noteBenefit

Who this is about

adults in short oral-hygiene trials

Practical note

In the trials pooled by the largest review, oil pulling lasted 7 to 45 days and about half of the trials used sesame oil.

Vegan note

The oils used in trials (sesame, coconut, sunflower) are plant oils.

Safety note

Oil pulling is meant to be spat out, not swallowed. Case reports describe lipoid pneumonia after oil was aspirated into the lungs, and a review notes the practice is considered unsuitable for young children because of aspiration risk. One trial noted possible adverse effects in people with oral keratosis.

Sources

Case reports link habitual oil pulling to lipoid pneumonia when oil is aspirated into the lungs; how often this happens is unknown.

Very low certaintyThis is uncertain; treat it as a lead, not a finding.
Take care: see the safety noteRisk

Who this is about

adults who practise oil pulling habitually

Practical note

The evidence is a handful of case reports, which can show that harm is possible but not how common it is.

Safety note

Oil pulling is meant to be spat out, not swallowed. Case reports describe lipoid pneumonia after oil was aspirated into the lungs, and a review notes the practice is considered unsuitable for young children because of aspiration risk. One trial noted possible adverse effects in people with oral keratosis.

Sources

In short trials in adults, oil pulling did not reduce dental plaque more than control rinses or usual care, and reduced it less than chlorhexidine mouthwash.

Low certaintyFurther research is likely to change this.
Take care: see the safety noteNo clear effect

Who this is about

adults in short oral-hygiene trials

Practical note

One later 8-week trial found more plaque reduction with sesame oil than with water, but its authors could not rule out bias.

Vegan note

The oils used in trials (sesame, coconut, sunflower) are plant oils.

Safety note

Oil pulling is meant to be spat out, not swallowed. Case reports describe lipoid pneumonia after oil was aspirated into the lungs, and a review notes the practice is considered unsuitable for young children because of aspiration risk. One trial noted possible adverse effects in people with oral keratosis.

Sources

Oil pulling may lower salivary bacterial counts in the short term in adults, but the evidence is very uncertain.

Very low certaintyThis is uncertain; treat it as a lead, not a finding.
Take care: see the safety noteBenefit

Who this is about

adults in short oral-hygiene trials

Practical note

Coconut-oil trials in one review lasted 7 to 14 days.

Vegan note

The oils used in trials (sesame, coconut, sunflower) are plant oils.

Safety note

Oil pulling is meant to be spat out, not swallowed. Case reports describe lipoid pneumonia after oil was aspirated into the lungs, and a review notes the practice is considered unsuitable for young children because of aspiration risk. One trial noted possible adverse effects in people with oral keratosis.

Sources

What the tradition holds

The Ayurvedic tradition holds that daily oil pulling (kavala or gandusha) keeps the mouth, teeth and gums healthy and strengthens the teeth, gums and jaws in adults.

Take care: see the safety noteBenefit

Who this is about

adults

The tradition's frame

Ayurveda

Ayurveda describes holding or swishing oil in the mouth (kavala graha and gandusha, named in the Charaka and Sushruta Samhitas) as a daily routine that cleanses the mouth and strengthens the teeth, gums and jaws.

Practical note

Reviews describe oil pulling as an addition to toothbrushing and dental care, not a replacement for them.

Vegan note

The oils used in trials (sesame, coconut, sunflower) are plant oils.

Safety note

Oil pulling is meant to be spat out, not swallowed. Case reports describe lipoid pneumonia after oil was aspirated into the lungs, and a review notes the practice is considered unsuitable for young children because of aspiration risk. One trial noted possible adverse effects in people with oral keratosis.

Sources

Oil pulling removes toxins from the body beyond the mouth in adults.

Take care: see the safety noteUnclear

Who this is about

adults

The tradition's frame

Ayurveda

Popular Ayurvedic accounts hold that oil pulling draws toxins out of the blood through the tongue and so purifies the whole body, and credit it with benefits for many systemic complaints.

Vegan note

The oils used in trials (sesame, coconut, sunflower) are plant oils.

Safety note

Oil pulling is meant to be spat out, not swallowed. Case reports describe lipoid pneumonia after oil was aspirated into the lungs, and a review notes the practice is considered unsuitable for young children because of aspiration risk. One trial noted possible adverse effects in people with oral keratosis.

Sources