Oil pulling is the practice of swishing oil in your mouth for 15 to 20 minutes to clean your teeth and gums. It originated in Ayurvedic medicine thousands of years ago and has gained popularity online as a natural alternative to mouthwash. While some clinical studies show it can reduce harmful bacteria in the mouth, the American Dental Association does not recommend it as a substitute for brushing, flossing, or conventional dental care.
How Oil Pulling Works
You place about a tablespoon of oil in your mouth, usually coconut or sesame oil, and swish it around continuously for 15 to 20 minutes. If that feels like a long time, starting with 5 or 10 minutes and building up is fine. You breathe through your nose while swishing, then spit the oil into the trash when you’re done. You should not swallow it, and you should not spit it into the sink or toilet because the oil can solidify in your pipes and cause blockages over time.
The proposed mechanism involves a process similar to soap-making. The fat in the oil reacts with bicarbonate ions naturally present in your saliva. This reaction emulsifies the oil, increasing its surface area and letting it spread across teeth and gums more effectively. The idea is that this soapy mixture loosens and traps bacteria living in the thin film that coats your teeth.
What the Research Actually Shows
The most consistent finding across studies is that oil pulling reduces counts of Streptococcus mutans, the bacterium most responsible for tooth decay. In one clinical trial, participants who oil pulled daily for two weeks saw their S. mutans colony counts drop from roughly 5,650 to 4,090 per milliliter of saliva. A fluoridated mouthwash group in the same study saw a similar drop, from 5,690 to 3,920. A control group that did neither showed no change at all. Both oil pulling and the mouthwash produced statistically significant reductions compared to doing nothing.
That said, a meta-analysis pooling results from multiple trials found no significant difference between oil pulling and chlorhexidine mouthwash (the clinical gold standard) for either plaque buildup or gum inflammation scores. In other words, oil pulling performed comparably to mouthwash in some measures, but it didn’t outperform it.
Claims that oil pulling whitens teeth, prevents cavities, detoxifies the body, or treats conditions like heart disease have no peer-reviewed evidence behind them. As the British Dental Journal noted, plenty of online testimonials exist, but scientific support does not. The ADA’s position is straightforward: based on the lack of reliable evidence, it does not recommend oil pulling as a dental hygiene practice.
Which Oil to Use
Coconut oil is the most popular choice and has the most research behind it. Its main fat, lauric acid, reacts with sodium hydroxide in saliva to form a compound called sodium laureate, which acts as a cleaning agent and may help reduce plaque accumulation. Sesame oil is the traditional Ayurvedic choice and also has some clinical data supporting its use. Sunflower oil and olive oil are sometimes used as alternatives, though the evidence for them is thinner. If taste is a deciding factor, coconut oil tends to be the mildest.
Its Ayurvedic Origins
Oil pulling appears in the Charaka Samhita, one of the foundational texts of Ayurvedic medicine, where it’s described in two forms. Gandusha involves filling the mouth completely with oil so that gargling is impossible, holding it for about 3 to 5 minutes, then releasing. Kavala uses a smaller, more comfortable amount of oil, held for about 3 minutes and then gargled. Traditional Ayurvedic texts claimed these practices could treat roughly 30 conditions, from migraines to diabetes, though modern evidence does not support those broader claims.
Risks to Be Aware Of
For most people, oil pulling is physically harmless. The main risk is aspiration: accidentally inhaling small amounts of oil into the lungs. This can lead to a condition called lipoid pneumonia, in which oil deposits in lung tissue trigger inflammation. It’s rare, but oil pulling is listed as a recognized risk factor. Low-viscosity oils can slip past the airway’s normal defenses without triggering a cough reflex, which is why the risk exists at all. People who have difficulty swallowing or controlling liquids in their mouth should be especially cautious.
The other risk is indirect. If you use oil pulling as a replacement for brushing, flossing, or professional dental care, you’re relying on a practice that hasn’t been shown to prevent cavities or treat gum disease. Used as a supplement to your normal routine, it’s unlikely to cause problems. Used as a replacement, it could mean real dental issues go unaddressed.
How to Do It Step by Step
- Choose your oil. Coconut oil is the most common. Place one tablespoon in your mouth.
- Swish continuously. Push and pull the oil between your teeth for 15 to 20 minutes. Sit or stand upright while you do it.
- Breathe through your nose. Keep your mouth closed throughout.
- Spit into the trash. Never spit oil into a sink or toilet. Oil solidifies in pipes, forming clumps that grow over time and cause blockages. Even running hot water or adding dish soap won’t prevent this. Pour the oil into a lined trash can or a jar you can throw away.
- Brush your teeth. Most practitioners brush immediately afterward. Some prefer to wait a few minutes. Either way, use a separate toothbrush from the one you use for your regular daily brushing.
Oil pulling takes significantly more time than swishing mouthwash for 30 seconds, which is the main practical barrier for most people. If you find the texture or duration unpleasant, there’s no strong clinical reason to push through it. The existing evidence suggests it performs similarly to conventional mouthwash, not better.