‘Oil pulling’: Natural, stronger mouthwash or waste of time?

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Have you seen health advice on social media and wondered, “Is that actually good for me?” CNN’s Wellness team explains and evaluates viral trends in this regular series: Fad Check.

Before there was toothpaste, there was coconut oil. Without a toothbrush in hand, many of our ancestors pulled oil between their teeth.

The ancient tradition has had a revival.

“Oil pulling” is all over the internet. Some of us are posting our routines: digging into a jar of coconut oil, shovel a spoonful into our mouths, and, as it dissolves into a liquid, swishing it through our teeth for five to 20 minutes.

Then we spit it out before regular toothbrushing and flossing, repeating the routine several times a week. It’s like natural mouthwash.

Some claim oil pulling can make our teeth whiter and freshen our breath. Others claim it promotes a healthier oral microbiome, which connects to better gut health.

Oil pulling dates back thousands of years. It’s rooted in Ayurvedic medicine, a traditional Indian healing practice.

Influencers’ rendition of oil pulling today is identical to the ancient technique. It involved swishing an edible oil, such as coconut, sunflower or olive, around the mouth for as long as 20 minutes before spitting it out.

According to the Ayurvedic practice it was believed the habit would “pull” toxins and impurities from the mouth. Those toxins refer to plaque buildup — a mix of mouth bacteria and leftover food particles that stick to the teeth. Because oral health is linked to overall health, it was also believed that oil pulling could detoxify the body.

By the early 20th century, the ancient practice was overtaken by toothpaste, which is medically proven to strengthen oral health. Its recent comeback is part of a larger trend toward natural wellness practices.

“There’s no scientific evidence that oil pulling is beneficial, but there is also no evidence that it’s detrimental,” said Dr. Matthew Messina, a consumer advisor for the American Dental Association and director of Ohio State Upper Arlington Dentistry.

A 2022 meta-analysis found that oil pulling does decrease bacterial counts in the mouth, but there’s limited evidence that it reduces gum inflammation or plaque buildup compared with the typical hygiene routine.

Before we had access to toothpaste, oil pulling was “better than nothing,” Messina said. But now, the long ritual offers little beyond the brushing and flossing habits we learned as kids.

There aren’t any “reliable scientific studies to show that oil pulling reduces cavities, whitens teeth or improves oral health and well-being,” according to the American Dental Association.

Experts aren’t recommending oil pulling, but they’re not raising any red flags either.

Some of Messina’s patients say their mouths taste like a “salad” after oil pulling, so they brush for longer periods of time to get that oily feeling out. “In a backwards way, their oral hygiene actually gets better because they’re brushing longer, which I’m okay with,” he said. “That gets us the same end result.”

It’s an issue though, if I’m oil pulling as a replacement for proven medical treatments. For example, if I have a gum infection or dental abscess, I should seek antibiotics, not the unproven healing properties of … oil. And while accidentally swallowing it might cause gastrointestinal problems, that isn’t necessarily harmful.

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Cottage cheese is having a moment, deservedly

Unlike oil pulling, traditional mouthwash offers some benefits. Mouthwash often contains antibacterial ingredients that reduce bacteria associated with tooth decay and gum disease. Fluoride rinses can help strengthen teeth, Messina said. But mouthwash is still a supplement, not a substitute for brushing and flossing.

“Oral rinses are best used to support a healthy regimen of brushing twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste and cleaning between our teeth once a day with floss or an oral irrigator,” Messina said.

As for oil pulling, it’s basically a waste of time. You might think you’re spending 20 minutes boosting your oral hygiene, when in reality, you’re probably doing nothing. Oil pulling offers a “false sense of protection,” said dentist and orthodontic specialist Dr. Kami Hoss, who is based near San Diego.

While it does look at the number of bacteria present after oil pulling, it doesn’t give enough evidence to support oil pulling as beneficial to preventing cavities or periodontal disease. Further study, including more randomized protocols involving a larger number of patients, would be beneficial.

“If you spend minutes of oil pulling every day, how much time are you really going to spend doing all the other things that we know are scientific rewards?” Hoss asked.

It’s also a waste of perfectly good oil.

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编者按：你是否在社交媒体上看到过一些健康建议，然后疑惑“这些建议真的对我有益吗？” CNN 健康团队将在本系列文章“潮流检测”中解释和评估这些热门趋势。

在牙膏出现之前，人们使用椰子油。没有牙刷，我们的许多祖先就用椰子油来清洁牙齿。

这项古老的传统已经复兴。

“油拔法”在网上非常流行。有些人甚至在网上分享他们的做法：从一罐椰子油里舀一勺放进嘴里，等它溶解成液体后，用它漱口5到20分钟。

然后我们在正常刷牙和使用牙线之前把它吐掉，每周重复几次。它就像天然漱口水一样。

有人声称油拔法可以使牙齿更白，口气更清新。也有人声称它能促进口腔微生物群的健康，从而改善肠道健康。

油拔法已有数千年历史，源于印度传统医学阿育吠陀。

如今网红们演绎的油拔法与古老的油拔法并无二致。它指的是将椰子油、葵花籽油或橄榄油等食用油含在口中漱口长达20分钟，然后再吐掉。

根据阿育吠陀疗法，人们认为油拔法可以“清除”口腔中的毒素和杂质。这些毒素指的是牙菌斑——口腔细菌和残留食物残渣的混合物，它们会粘附在牙齿上。由于口腔健康与整体健康息息相关，人们也认为油拔法可以帮助身体排毒。

到了20世纪初，这种古老的做法被牙膏所取代，因为医学证明牙膏能够增强口腔健康。它近期的复兴是人们越来越倾向于自然健康生活方式的一部分。

“没有科学证据表明油拔法有益，但也没有证据表明它有害，”美国牙科协会消费者顾问、俄亥俄州立大学上阿灵顿牙科主任马修·梅西纳博士说。

2022 年的一项荟萃​​分析发现，油拔法确实可以减少口腔中的细菌数量，但与典型的口腔卫生习惯相比，它能减少牙龈炎症或牙菌斑堆积的证据有限。

梅西纳说，在牙膏普及之前，油拔法“聊胜于无”。但如今，这种繁琐的仪式除了我们小时候养成的刷牙和用牙线清洁牙齿的习惯之外，并没有太多其他益处。

美国牙科协会表示，“目前没有任何可靠的科学研究表明，油拔法可以减少蛀牙、美白牙齿或改善口腔健康和福祉。”

专家们不建议进行油拔法，但也没有发出任何警告。

梅西纳的一些病人说，用油拔法漱口后，嘴里感觉像吃了“沙拉”，所以他们会延长刷牙时间，以去除那种油腻感。“从某种意义上说，他们的口腔卫生反而改善了，因为他们刷牙时间更长了，我觉得这样挺好，”他说。“这样最终效果是一样的。”

但如果我用油拔法来代替已被证实有效的医疗手段，那就存在问题了。例如，如果我得了牙龈感染或牙脓肿，我应该寻求抗生素治疗，而不是依赖未经证实的……油的疗效。虽然不小心吞咽油可能会引起肠胃问题，但这并不一定有害。

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乡村奶酪正当红，实至名归。

与油拔法不同，传统漱口水也有一些益处。漱口水通常含有抗菌成分，可以减少与蛀牙和牙龈疾病相关的细菌。梅西纳表示，含氟漱口水有助于强化牙齿。但漱口水仍然只是辅助手段，不能替代刷牙和使用牙线。

“漱口水最好用于辅助健康的口腔护理习惯，例如每天用含氟牙膏刷牙两次，以及每天用牙线或冲牙器清洁牙齿之间一次，”梅西纳说。

至于油拔法，基本上是在浪费时间。你可能以为自己花了20分钟来改善口腔卫生，但实际上，你可能什么都没做。圣地亚哥附近的牙医兼正畸专家卡米·霍斯博士说，油拔法会给人一种“虚假的保护感”。

虽然这项研究确实考察了油拔法后细菌的数量，但并未提供足够的证据支持油拔法对预防蛀牙或牙周病有益。需要开展更多研究，包括采用更多随机对照试验方案并纳入更多患者，这将更有益。

“如果你每天花几分钟时间进行油拔法，那么你真正能花多少时间去做其他我们已知对健康有益的事情呢？”霍斯问道。

这简直是​​对优质食用油的浪费。