Effect of coconut oil in plaque related gingivitis - A preliminary report

Abstract

Background:Oil pulling or oil swishing therapy is a traditional procedure in which the practitioners rinse or swish oil in their mouth. It is supposed to cure oral and systemic diseases but the evidence is minimal. Oil pulling with sesame oil and sunflower oil was found to reduce plaque related gingivitis. Coconut oil is an easily available edible oil. It is unique because it contains predominantly medium chain fatty acids of which 45-50 percent is lauric acid. Lauric acid has proven anti inflammatory and antimicrobial effects. No studies have been done on the benefits of oil pulling using coconut oil to date. So a pilot study was planned to assess the effect of coconut oil pulling on plaque induced gingivitis.Materials and Methods:The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of coconut oil pulling/oil swishing on plaque formation and plaque induced gingivitis. A prospective interventional study was carried out. 60 age matched adolescent boys and girls in the age-group of 16-18 years with plaque induced gingivitis were included in the study and oil pulling was included in their oral hygiene routine. The study period was 30 days. Plaque and gingival indices of the subjects were assessed at baseline days 1,7,15 and 30. The data was analyzed using paired t test.Results:A statistically significant decrease in the plaque and gingival indices was noticed from day 7 and the scores continued to decrease during the period of study.Conclusion:Oil pulling using coconut oil could be an effective adjuvant procedure in decreasing plaque formation and plaque induced gingivitis.

Antibacterial Effect of Virgin Coconut Oil on the Viability of Chromogenic Bacteria That Causes Dental Black Stain in Children

“…and Prevotella spp. The decline in bacterial viability after the administration of VCO is due to its antibacterial content, namely, the lauric acid that kills a wide variety of microorganisms whose cell membranes contain lipid acids, such as Gram-positive and Gramnegative bacteria [15,17]. Lauric acid is a nonpolar, saturated lipid acid.…”

“…Lauric acid is a natural antibacterial agent that can kill microorganisms whose cell membranes contain lipid acids [13,17]. The VCO used in the study was in the following concentrations: 100%, 50%, 25%, and 12.5%.…”

Remineralization Evaluation of Cocos Nucifera Extracts via Element Quantification

“…In a study conducted [18], VCO used in oil pulling had reduced 22.79% colony growth of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) while chlorohexidine showed 25.72% reduction of colonial growth. Among few studies conducted on coconut oil, sunflower oil, sesame oil, and other edible oils against chlorhexidine, results showed that oil pulling is able to reduce halitosis and reduce the bacteria count which causes it to drop to a significant amount, reducing gingivitis and plaque as effectively as chlorhexidine [18][19][20][21]. Furthermore, oil pulling has advantages over chlorhexidine that oil pulling does not leaves staining, no lingering aftertaste, and most importantly no allergy [19].…”

“…Furthermore, oil pulling has advantages over chlorhexidine that oil pulling does not leaves staining, no lingering aftertaste, and most importantly no allergy [19]. Although coconut oil exhibited a significant reduction in S. mutans count after oil pulling [18,21], the coconut oil needs to be pre-digested before consumption to make it more effective [19]. Against oral microflora, oil pulling is found to be effective due to the abundant presence of MCFA in coconut oil and VCO.…”

Antibacterial Effect of Virgin Coconut Oil on (Actinomyces Sp.) That Causes Dental Black Stain in Children

“…Lauric acid, the main component of VCO, has antibacterial, antivirus, and antiprotozoal effects. Lauric acid can kill gram-positive bacteria by damaging the bacterial cell membrane, resulting in membrane lysis and inhibited bacterial growth [9,10].…”