Most of us brush our teeth with a toothbrush and sometimes use floss or mouthwash. But some swear by a health trend that’s (again) flooding social media: oil-pulling. An age-old custom where you rinse your mouth with oil for minutes to make a whole series of problems disappear. But does oil-pulling really work? Or is it just another empty health trend?
If we are to believe social media then we can all be rid of yellow teeth, bad breath, bleeding gums, cavities… by simply swirling oil around in our mouth for 5 to 20 minutes and then spitting it out. Usually it concerns coconut oil, sunflower oil, sesame seed oil or olive oil. Some websites or books go so far as to claim that this technique not only whitens your teeth and kills bacteria, but can also prevent heart disease and cleanse your entire body.
Read more below the video.
Oil-pulling sounds like a hip new trend, but it’s actually nothing new. Every so often it pops up again. It is a traditional DIY technique originating from Indian Ayurvedic medicine where it is called ‘Gandusha kriya’. By rinsing with the oil, you detoxify your body. But is this miracle therapy scientifically substantiated? Or should you move your coconut oil back from the bathroom to the kitchen?
While it’s no problem to find testimonials online from people praising its use, scientific evidence is lacking. Several reviews bundled the scientific studies of recent years that looked at the impact on our oral hygiene and all came to the same conclusion. The few studies conducted to date have often been unreliable for various reasons. That is why the scientists advise conducting new studies of a higher quality. This is to determine whether oil-pulling can be used in addition to brushing your teeth and whether there are any negative side effects.
And then of course there are also the claims that we can also use oil pulling to combat allergies, cardiovascular diseases, chronic fatigue, cancer, migraines, etc. When a scientist hears such a thing, he is probably speechless. Because scientific evidence for this is of course nowhere to be found. In this case, it is pseudoscience. A mouth full of nonsense.
So you will have to decide for yourself whether such a daily mouthful of oil in your mouth is an attractive prospect. Because there is no scientific proof. Maybe it’s better to use that oil to cook a nice meal?
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