Effect of Virgin Coconut Oil Pulling on Salivary Bacterial Count Versus fluoride mouth wash in a group of Egyptian adults – Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)

Document Type : Original Article

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Lecturer of Esthetic and Conservative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University, Egypt

Abstract

Background: With increasing public interest in complementary natural health practices, oil pulling, an ancient Ayurvedic practice, has re-emerged as a possible alternative oral antiseptic to fluoride mouthwash. Anecdotal endorsement abounds, but scientific support is lacking.
Objective: This study evaluated and compared the effectiveness of virgin coconut oil (VCO) pulling and fluoride mouthwash in reducing salivary bacterial counts in a sample of healthy Egyptian adults.
Methods: Seventy-two adult participants (aged 18–60) were randomly allocated into two equal groups: Group A1 used fluoride mouthwash, and Group A2 practiced oil pulling with virgin coconut oil. Salivary samples were collected at baseline (T0), after 2 weeks (T1), and after 4 weeks (T2). Bacterial counts were quantified as colony-forming units per milliliter (CFU/ml) using Mitis Salivarius agar plates.
Results: The interventions both led to a continuous decrease in counts of bacteria. However, statistical evaluation by independent t-tests found no noteworthy differences between groups at all time points (p-values: T0 = 0.543, T1 = 0.266, T2 = 0.204).
Conclusion: Virgin coconut oil pulling is as effective as fluoride mouthwash in decreasing salivary bacterial loads in a period of four weeks, and it can serve as a useful natural alternative for oral hygiene.

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Egyptian Dental Journal
Volume 71, Issue 4 - Serial Number 5
Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics
October 2025
Pages 3463-3467

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