Oil Pulling: Ancient Ritual or Modern Myth?

Hi everybody, I'm Dr. Sanda Moldovan, periodontist and nutritionist. Welcome to the Holistic Dentistry Podcast, the show that gives you the tips and tools to detoxify your mouth for a healthier body as we explore together the root cause of disease. Remember, you're not healthy until your mouth is healthy, so take care of it in the most natural way. Today I want to dive into the science of oil pulling. Is it an ancient ritual or a modern myth? We're seeing more and more products on the market for oil pulling. Some people are using coconut oil, some people are using sesame oil, some people are using a combination of different oils. And really, in order to do oil pulling well, we must do it for 20 minutes. Some of you might wonder, what in the world is oil pulling? Well, oil pulling is 20 minutes of swishing oil around the mouth in between the teeth, back and forth, in order for it to act like, um, soap to clean the plaque that's present there. And if we look at the history of oil pulling, This is originating from India. It's an Ayurvedic practice that actually started about 3,000 years ago. And at the time in India, the only thing that people had was sesame oil because it was inexpensive. So we didn't have water flossers back then, water jets. Floss was only invented in the 1850s. So 3,000 years ago, the only thing they had was twigs to brush their teeth and sesame oil pulling. But in the latest years, it's really made a comeback. And what should we do? Should we do 20 minutes of swishing oil between the teeth or 2 minutes of brushing and 90 seconds of water flossing? Let's see if the science supports it. The claimed benefits so far of oil pulling is detoxification of the gum, healthier gums, decreasing bleeding, even whitening. And I actually found one article in a magazine that it says it extends lifespan. I haven't found any studies to actually show that, that oil pulling extends lifespan. However, we know that flossing actually does extend lifespan. Another myth that's out there regarding oil pulling is that it regulates hormonal balance. I have never seen this in any article, so I would be cautiously optimistic to make this kind of claim. Now, what do we actually know about oil pulling? A lot of the studies were actually done at the Indian universities. Some small studies show a reduction in Streptococcus mutans, which is the cavity-causing bacteria. But is it enough to prevent cavities? No, I haven't found any article to show that it's enough to prevent cavities. We also see some studies with mild improvement in gingivitis, meaning there's a decrease in bleeding when people start oil pulling. One of the studies even looked at the efficacy of fluoride and herbal mouth rinses in relationship to oil pulling, and it was found that oil pulling was not more effective than herbal mouth rinses in resolving gingivitis. And we don't see that oil pulling provides additional benefit as an antimicrobial agent in reducing the bacterial colonization of an individual. And what is the mechanism that people claim oil pulling is effective? That oil may trap bacteria like a lipid membrane interaction, since bacterial membranes are also made outta lipids. And then through this swishing, we have this mechanical trapping of the bacteria, which is basically similar to rinsing and it eliminates bacteria that way. However, we don't have any strong large-scale clinical evidence that oil pulling is working or it's efficient in cleaning up the bacteria. And why is that? If you actually look at the bacterial biofilm, bacterial biofilm is very sticky. This is another name for plaque. So plaque being so sticky, it actually covers the teeth and the gums, but but more so the root surfaces, it becomes very sticky. So oftentimes even with people brushing, we still have bacterial biofilm and brushing is a lot more abrasive than oil pulling. So the biggest problem is a mechanical problem. If people are just oil pulling and ignoring flossing, we are not really getting the plaque removal that we'd like to see. So number one lesson from all the evidence that I've looked at is Oil pulling does not replace brushing and flossing. Uh, we don't really have the evidence to say, okay, oil pulling is going to save me from gum disease. It's not that the oil pulling does nothing, it's that it doesn't do enough in order to maintain a healthy microbiome and to maintain health in between the teeth. Now, common oils that are being used are coconut oil, which is really the most popular out there, but really the traditional Ayurvedic medicine recommended sesame oil. Sunflower oil is another one that's recommended, uh, for oil pulling, not the one I recommend personally. I just don't have 20 minutes in the bathroom in order to do oil pulling. Now, The claim is that oil mixes with saliva and we get a saponification effect, meaning there's a soap formation, um, when the oil is being swished around for 20 minutes. And actually, I remember a time when I grew up in Romania when my grandfather actually used oils and fats, animal fats, to make soap, and his soap was excellent, but he also had to mix it with other chemicals in order to create soap from fats. Now here, what we're doing for oil pulling is actually we're just swishing back and forth fat, and we do get maybe some soap effect. However, this is minimal to negligible soap formation in the mouth. It's really not a meaningful cleansing effect like actual soap. If you're— so basically you're not brushing your teeth with soap. You're mostly just swishing fat. So what is the process? What people are actually doing is taking 1 tablespoon, usually coconut oil, swish it for 10 to 20 minutes, and they spit it out. And be careful, don't spit it out in the sink because it can clog your sink. You have to spit it out in the trash. And then they rinse and then they brush their teeth, but they're not actually using a water flosser or floss or in-between brushes to get in between the teeth. So we really have to look here at the time cost, 20 minutes in the bathroom for something that's a not as good of a clean as brushing and water flossing or using string floss. It's basically 3 times as long to do oil pulling and brush without the good plaque removal that we really need in order to maintain a healthy microbiome. So is it worth it? Basically, if you're going to oil pull because you like the feeling, you still have to brush and floss. Now, the water flossing, why do I feel that's more effective? Is because it targets the gum line. And when you use the water pulsation, it actually has been studied to remove 99.9% of plaque biofilm, even the calcified biofilm on the surface of the tooth in only 3 seconds. These are studies done at USC. Uh, Dr. Bill Costerton, there's a great video actually on YouTube in which he talks about this. He was even impressed. He was the director of the Center for, uh, Biofilms, Oral Biofilms at USC. He unfortunately passed away, but he was a great scientist and he always looked for evidence before he made a recommendation. And he himself was actually impressed with the level of plaque reduction that we have from water flossing. So if you're choosing between oil pulling and water flossing, the science clearly favors water flossing. Now I wanna mention ozonated oils for oil pulling. I'm a big fan of ozonated oil. So what is ozone? You've heard me talk about this before. Ozone is 3 atoms of oxygen that are connected together, and it actually is very stable when we infuse it in an oil. So for Asana, uh, or Asana has a line of ozonated oil called the Oral Detox. And really the Oral Detox, um, actually helps people with gum disease and helps people with gingivitis and helps people with cavities. The reason why I have this oil as part of the OraSana line is because as a dentist, we need the antimicrobial effect for people who have a biofilm that causes cavities and a biofilm that causes inflammation. So the recommendation for OraSana Oral Detox Ozonated Oil is to actually take it and swish it in between the teeth for 1 minute. You don't need to spend the 20 minutes in the bathroom to hope that the oil will actually create a soap-like effect. In this case, when we're using ozonated oil as a swish or as a rinse, the ozone is the one that actually has the impact on the biofilm. We know that ozone in a 1-minute exposure, it actually creates and pokes holes in all the membranes of bacteria, especially the pathogenic ones that are creating cavities such as Streptococcus mutans. And there's no bacteria in our mouth that is actually resistant to ozonated oil. So for my patients that actually are dealing with rampant cavities, people with dry mouth, I recommend an ozonated oil for as a 1-minute swish. In order to help regulate the oral microbiome. Now let's talk about people that have gingivitis. Gingivitis is really bleeding of the gums, and some of you might notice, yeah, you know, occasionally my gums bleed. You probably have gingivitis or worse periodontitis, and you really need to be diagnosed properly. I highly recommend that if you suffer from bleeding gums, you definitely see a periodontist. To be able to help you correct the problem before that inflammation translates to the bone level. So the ozonated oil in the OraSana line is especially, is meant as an adjunct to your oral care routine while you are dealing with bleeding gums or periodontitis. So again, it does not substitute for brushing and water flossing. So what is their routine? Brush for 2 minutes twice a day, water floss every tooth, front and back. And thirdly, use the ozonated oil for 1 minute to swish back and forth after brushing and water flossing. And you will see the difference in actually, in terms of decreasing the bleeding gums and decreasing the level of cavities. Now, the advantage of the ozonated oil called Oral Detox is that it's shorter use. You don't have to sit in the bathroom for 20 minutes. It's really 1 minute. And it has an effect because of the ozone that is present in the oil, and it is actually shelf-stable for a couple of years without losing its potency. Some of the other oils that are on the market can actually get rancid, but not the ozonated oil. Oral detox. So what is the conclusion? Oil pulling is not necessarily harmless, but it's just not a solution because it doesn't do enough. I did find a couple of articles, especially older patients that are using ozonated oil that were hoping to treat their advanced periodontal disease. With regular oil pulling and they ended up with pneumonia in the hospital. I found 2 case studies like this. Why is that? Because when we're swishing back and forth for 20 minutes with oil, and let's say an older person doesn't have the reflexes, they're coughing, or maybe, you know, they take a breath and now the oil particles are ending up in the lungs. You can get a lung infection and those can be very dangerous. Some of the periodontal pathogens are known to create, um, pneumonia-like infections. So if you're older, be careful. I suggest skipping oil pulling altogether. And if you do wanna oil pull because you have a gingival problem or a cavity problem, my recommendation, use the ozonated oral detox oil from the OraSana line for 1 minute, twice a day. And if your oral care routine takes 20 minutes but skips the fundamentals, you're focusing on the wrong thing. So there you have it. I hope you understand more about oil pulling, and now you're able to make the right decision about What is the right process for you depending where you are with your health? Thank you so much for joining me this week. Please make sure you check out the show notes for any links mentioned in the show. If you'd like today's show, please invite your friends to listen as well. That would mean a lot to me. Do you have a question you'd like me to answer? Message me on Instagram @DrSandaMoldovanovan. This is Dr. Sanda Moldovanova, and remember, your mouth is the gateway to your health, so take care of it in the most natural and best way possible.