Does Oil Pulling Actually Do Anything?

I get asked a lot whether there is any real evidence behind oil pulling, and what Chinese medicine thinks of it. My answer has two parts. Oil pulling is basically harmless, and there is some very limited evidence that it helps the bacteria in your mouth. It does not detox your body, it is not really a thing in Chinese medicine, and I would rather brush and floss.

Is oil pulling safe?

Yes. Oil pulling is basically harmless. If you want to do it, and you enjoy doing it, go for it. You take a spoonful of an edible oil, swish it around your mouth and between your teeth for several minutes, and spit it out. Coconut oil is the popular choice now, and it tastes nice. Sesame and sunflower oil are the traditional ones.

The practice comes from India, not China. It is a traditional Ayurvedic remedy, and its old claims are large: practised regularly, it is said to cure more than thirty systemic diseases^[1]. That is the part of the story I want to separate from the part that holds up. The trials that have tested oil pulling describe it the same way I do. In a randomised trial of 60 people that compared coconut oil pulling with chlorhexidine mouthwash and with distilled water, the authors concluded that edible oil pulling is natural, safe and has no side effects^[2].

The real question is whether it does what people say. How daily habits shape the terrain of your health is what we work on inside Gut Brain Synchrony, my community on Skool, where your first week is free.

Does oil pulling reduce bacteria in your mouth?

There is some very limited evidence that it can. The bacteria most studied are Streptococcus mutans, the species most associated with tooth decay, which sit in dental plaque and turn sugar into acid.

What the trials found

In the 60-person trial above, people swished 10 ml of coconut oil for 10 minutes each morning before brushing. After two weeks, the S. mutans count in their saliva had dropped significantly, as it had in the chlorhexidine group^[2]. A similar trial in 60 children compared cold-pressed coconut oil with a fluoride mouthwash and distilled water: after two weeks both the oil and the mouthwash groups had a significant fall in bacterial colony counts^[3].

Coconut oil has a plausible reason to help here. Around 45 to 50 percent of its fat is lauric acid, a medium-chain fatty acid with known antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects. In a 30-day study of 60 teenagers aged 16 to 18 with plaque-induced gingivitis, adding coconut oil pulling to their routine lowered plaque and gum inflammation scores from day 7 onward, and the scores kept falling through the month^[4].

Why I call the evidence very limited

These studies are small and short. A systematic review from Oxford's Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine found only five randomised trials with a total of 160 people, lasting 10 to 45 days, and concluded that oil pulling may have beneficial effects on oral hygiene over the short periods studied^[5]. A review limited to coconut oil found four trials with 182 people, lasting 7 to 14 days, with significant reductions in salivary bacteria and plaque scores, and called the evidence limited^[6].

The largest pooled analysis so far took in 25 trials and 1,184 participants. Oil pulling improved gum inflammation scores compared with non-chlorhexidine mouthwashes, chlorhexidine was still better at reducing plaque, and the overall quality of the evidence was rated very low^[7]. A 2026 review of traditional oral hygiene practices reached the same place: oil pulling with sesame or coconut oil showed moderate reductions in microbial load and better gum health^[8]. Some benefit, in the mouth, over days and weeks: that is very limited evidence.

How swishing oil could work

The most likely mechanism is mechanical. In a laboratory study of sesame oil, the oil's own lignans had no antibacterial effect on S. mutans or related streptococci. What did happen was emulsification, and signs of saponification: the oil mixed with saliva into a soapy, milky emulsion that helps lift debris and bacteria off the surfaces it reaches^[9]. Oil pulling acts like a gentle rinse with some cleaning power, and that also tells you its limits. Plaque is a biofilm stuck to the teeth, and the standard for removing it is mechanical cleaning with a toothbrush^[10].

Does oil pulling help with bad breath?

Maybe, if the bad breath comes from a lot of plaque build-up around your teeth. That condition matters, because where the smell comes from decides what will help.

Most bad breath starts in the mouth. A systematic review of the causes found that 80 to 90 percent of halitosis comes from inside the mouth, mainly coated tongue, gum disease and poor oral hygiene, and 10 to 20 percent comes from elsewhere in the body^[11]. The smell itself is mostly volatile sulfur compounds, such as hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan, made when anaerobic bacteria break down sulfur-containing amino acids in the tongue coating, saliva and gum pockets^[12].

When bacteria and plaque are the source, oil pulling has a little support. In a pilot trial of 20 adolescents, two weeks of sesame oil pulling reduced plaque and gum scores, breath odour as rated by an examiner and by the participants themselves, and a test for odour-producing bacteria on the tongue, with results comparable to chlorhexidine^[13]. In 30 pregnant women, two weeks of oil pulling with sesame or rice bran oil reduced measured halitosis about as much as chlorhexidine rinsing did^[14].

When the smell starts somewhere else, the oil has nothing to work on. Breath that comes from the bloodstream or the airways is a different problem^[12], and in Chinese medicine, breath that smells sour or hot after meals is usually read as a sign from the digestion rather than the teeth. That is where I would look, and our digestive health start-here guide is the place to begin.

Does oil pulling detox the body?

No. Oil pulling has no systemic effects on detoxing your body. This is the claim I most want to be clear about.

The idea online is that the oil draws toxins out of your blood through your mouth, and that the cloudy oil you spit out is full of them. The cloudiness is the emulsion of oil and saliva described above^[9], carrying whatever bacteria and debris it lifted from your teeth. Every effect measured in the trials is an effect inside the mouth: saliva bacteria, plaque scores, gum scores and breath^[5][7]. None of them measured, or found, anything leaving the rest of the body.

Your body already has a detox system: the liver, kidneys, gut and lungs. The wider detox industry has the same problem. A critical review of detox diets found very little clinical evidence for them, and no randomised controlled trials of commercial detox programmes in humans^[15]. What actually supports those organs is the boring list: sleep, food, water, movement and time. If you want the food side of that, read how I think about your diet.

Is oil pulling part of Chinese medicine?

It is not really a thing in Chinese medicine, at least not that I have ever seen. It belongs to the Ayurvedic tradition of India^[1], and it has been carried into Western wellness culture from there.

That does not mean Chinese medicine ignores the mouth. It reads it closely. The mouth is the opening of the Spleen, so taste, appetite and the lips reflect digestion. The Stomach channel runs through the upper gums and the Large Intestine channel through the lower gums, so swollen or bleeding gums and hot, sour breath are read as heat in the digestive system. The teeth are tied to the Kidneys, as the surplus of the bones. The tongue is one of the main diagnostic tools: its colour and coating tell us about the state of the whole system.

In this view, a coated tongue or bad breath is information about the terrain. Rinsing the coating away can make the mouth feel cleaner, but it does not change what produced it. The work is in the digestion and the habits behind it.

Oil pulling vs flossing: which matters more?

Brushing and flossing. I would rather brush and floss, and the evidence for those two is far stronger than anything oil pulling has. Plaque is the primary cause of tooth decay and gum disease, and daily mechanical removal of it is what keeps both away^[16]. A toothbrush does not reach between the teeth; floss and interdental brushes do.

A Cochrane review of 35 randomised trials in 3,929 adults found that flossing in addition to toothbrushing reduced gum inflammation at one month compared with brushing alone, pooled across 8 trials and 585 people, and that interdental brushes may reduce gingivitis more than floss^[16]. Oil pulling is a rinse. It can reach between the teeth as a liquid, but it cannot scrape a biofilm off a surface the way bristles and floss do^[10].

If your gums bleed, that is the first place I would put your attention. I wrote about one traditional option in whether Yunnan Baiyao toothpaste is good for bleeding gums.

How to oil pull, and how to look after your mouth

If you enjoy oil pulling, here is the practical version, with the basics that matter more.

Oil pulling questions people ask

Does oil pulling whiten teeth?

There is no good trial showing that it whitens teeth. What one review did find is that oil pulling caused less staining than chlorhexidine mouthwash, which is known to discolour teeth^[6].

Does oil pulling help with cavities?

It lowers the bacteria most linked to cavities in the short trials, S. mutans in the saliva^[2][3]. Those studies measured bacteria over two weeks, not cavities over years. Fluoride toothpaste, brushing, cleaning between the teeth and less sugar are what prevent decay.

Is oil pulling good for your gums?

Some trials show better gum inflammation scores with oil pulling, including the coconut oil study in teenagers with gingivitis and the pooled analysis of 25 trials^[4][7]. It is a pleasant extra, not a replacement for flossing, which has the stronger evidence^[16].

Oil pulling is a harmless habit with a small, local benefit. Enjoy it, and keep the toothbrush and floss in charge.

— Brehan Crawford, L.Ac.

References

1. Shanbhag VK. Oil pulling for maintaining oral hygiene - A review. J Tradit Complement Med. 2016;7(1):106-109. doi:10.1016/j.jtcme.2016.05.004
2. Kaushik M, Reddy P, Sharma R, et al. The effect of coconut oil pulling on Streptococcus mutans count in saliva in comparison with chlorhexidine mouthwash. J Contemp Dent Pract. 2016;17(1):38-41. doi:10.5005/jp-journals-10024-1800
3. Gosavi HS, Tandon S, Rai TS, et al. To evaluate the efficacy of oil pulling on caries activity of Streptococcus mutans: an in vivo study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent. 2024;17(5):580-584. doi:10.5005/jp-journals-10005-2852
4. Peedikayil FC, Sreenivasan P, Narayanan A. Effect of coconut oil in plaque related gingivitis - a preliminary report. Niger Med J. 2015;56(2):143-147. doi:10.4103/0300-1652.153406
5. Gbinigie O, Onakpoya I, Spencer E, et al. Effect of oil pulling in promoting oro dental hygiene: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials. Complement Ther Med. 2016;26:47-54. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2016.02.011
6. Woolley J, Gibbons T, Patel K, et al. The effect of oil pulling with coconut oil to improve dental hygiene and oral health: a systematic review. Heliyon. 2020;6(8):e04789. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04789
7. Jong FJX, Ooi J, Teoh SL. The effect of oil pulling in comparison with chlorhexidine and other mouthwash interventions in promoting oral health: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Dent Hyg. 2024;22(1):78-94. doi:10.1111/idh.12725
8. Shahzad M, Ahmad HA, Ambadi S, et al. Traditional oral hygiene practices and their effectiveness: a systematic review of the evidence. Oral Health Prev Dent. 2026;24:107-118. doi:10.3290/j.ohpd.c_2475
9. Asokan S, Rathinasamy TK, Inbamani N, et al. Mechanism of oil-pulling therapy - in vitro study. Indian J Dent Res. 2011;22(1):34-37. doi:10.4103/0970-9290.79971
10. Arweiler NB, Netuschil L. The oral microbiota. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2016;902:45-60. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-31248-4_4
11. Memon MA, Memon HA, Muhammad FE, et al. Aetiology and associations of halitosis: a systematic review. Oral Dis. 2023;29(4):1432-1438. doi:10.1111/odi.14172
12. Tangerman A, Winkel EG. Extra-oral halitosis: an overview. J Breath Res. 2010;4(1):017003. doi:10.1088/1752-7155/4/1/017003
13. Asokan S, Kumar RS, Emmadi P, et al. Effect of oil pulling on halitosis and microorganisms causing halitosis: a randomized controlled pilot trial. J Indian Soc Pedod Prev Dent. 2011;29(2):90-94. doi:10.4103/0970-4388.84678
14. Sheikh FS, Iyer RR. The effect of oil pulling with rice bran oil, sesame oil, and chlorhexidine mouth rinsing on halitosis among pregnant women: a comparative interventional study. Indian J Dent Res. 2016;27(5):508-512. doi:10.4103/0970-9290.195638
15. Klein AV, Kiat H. Detox diets for toxin elimination and weight management: a critical review of the evidence. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2015;28(6):675-686. doi:10.1111/jhn.12286
16. Worthington HV, MacDonald L, Poklepovic Pericic T, et al. Home use of interdental cleaning devices, in addition to toothbrushing, for preventing and controlling periodontal diseases and dental caries. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019;4(4):CD012018. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD012018.pub2