Ayurvedic medicine, which has been practiced in India for 5000 years, is a system that aims at the continuity of natural body health and a holistic approach to protecting natural health. The person’s feeling of well-being, achieved by the harmony of mental, physical, and environmental factors as a whole, allows all organs and systems to work harmoniously together; Disease or disharmony in any part of the body affects other systems, causing the whole organism to become ill. The cornerstones of this method are movement – exercise -, meditation – prayer -, plants – natural oils.
Maintaining oral health for holistic body health has also been important in the 5000-year-old Ayurvedic medicine.
The biggest indicator of general health in the human body is the integrity of the mouth and surrounding tissues. Disruption of this integrity for various reasons (disease, trauma, tooth, and jawbone loss for several reasons) negatively affects other tissues and organs and the person’s mental state. It is now known that chronic inflammation originating from the mouth will increase inflammation, which is the main cause of diseases throughout the body, or that the mouth may be the early sign of a systemic disease that has not yet been diagnosed.
The oral cavity has a very complex structure. There are millions of 700 types of bacteria, viruses, and fungi in the complex microbiota that provide function, phonation, and aesthetics. Reducing the millions of bacteria, viruses, and toxins in the oral cavity should be at the forefront of our daily routine cleaning habits. The most reliable method for maintaining oral hygiene is the daily tooth brushing habit; Mouthwashes are also used to help this and reduce the number of bacteria and viruses in the mouth. There are many disadvantages of the chemical mouthwashes used. These disadvantages include accumulation and discoloration in the mouth and teeth, damage to the oral mucosa with long use, toxicity of the chemicals it contains, and accumulation in the oral mucosa and other tissues. These negative situations made it necessary to resort to natural cleaning methods.
Oil pulling – gargling with natural oils – the method used to maintain oral health is a traditional Ayurvedic remedy method used in ancient traditional Indian medicine. This holistic system, used in India, is now widely used worldwide as a complementary or alternative application.
In Ayurvedic medicine, scientific studies have proven that the natural oils used in the oil-pulling method, which offers a holistic approach to oral health, are more effective in providing protection and healing. Other important advantages are that it has no systemic toxicity compared to chemical mouthwashes, is more economical, and can be used in pregnant women and those with systemic diseases.
In the oil-pulling method, which ensures the continuity of oral health, millions of bacteria on the tongue, gums, and teeth are removed and oral hygiene is improved. Its benefits are to prevent gum bleeding caused by gum infection, to contribute to the reduction of systemic inflammation by reducing inflammation in the mouth, to prevent discomfort caused by dry mouth, to increase the amount of saliva in those suffering from low saliva, to whiten teeth, and to stop bad breath.
Some of the oils used to make mouthwash are sunflower oil, sesame oil, olive oil, coconut oil, and rice bran oil, which are cold-pressed natural product certificates, are available.
Prof. Dr. Hülya Koçak Berberoğlu
University of Istanbul
Faculty of Dentistry,
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
RESOURCES
1- Sharma H, Chandola HM, Singh G, Basisht G. Utilization of Ayurveda in health care: an approach for prevention, health promotion, and treatment of disease. Part 1–Ayurveda, the science of life. J Altern Complement Med. 2007 Nov;13(9):1011-9. doi: 10.1089/acm.2007.7017-A. PMID: 18047449.
2-Peng TR, Cheng HY, Wu TW, Ng BK. Effectiveness of Oil Pulling for Improving Oral Health: A Meta-Analysis. Healthcare (Basel). 2022 Oct 11;10(10):1991. doi: 10.3390/healthcare10101991. PMID: 36292438; PMCID: PMC9602184.
3-Shanbhag VK. Oil pulling for maintaining oral hygiene – A review. J Tradit Complement Med. 2016 Jun 6;7(1):106-109. doi 10.1016/j.jtcme.2016.05.004. PMID: 28053895; PMCID: PMC5198813.
4-Singh A, Purohit B. Tooth brushing, oil pulling and tissue regeneration: A review of holistic approaches to oral health. J Ayurveda Integra Med. 2011 Apr;2(2):64-8. doi: 10.4103/0975-9476.82525. PMID: 21760690; PMCID: PMC3131773.
5-Sood P, Devi M A, Narang R, V S, Makkar DK. Comparative efficacy of oil pulling and chlorhexidine on oral malodor: a randomized controlled trial. J Clin Diagn Res. 2014 Nov;8(11): ZC18-21. doi 10.7860/JCDR/2014/9393.5112. Epub 2014 Nov 20. PMID: 25584309; PMCID: PMC4290321.
6-Pal SK, Shukla Y. Herbal medicine: current status and the future. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2003 Aug-Dec;4(4):281-8. PMID: 14728584.
7-Griessl T, Zechel-Gran S, Olejniczak S, Weigel M, Hain T, Domann E. High-resolution taxonomic examination of the oral microbiome after oil pulling with standardized sunflower seed oil and healthy participants: a pilot study. Clin Oral Investig. 2021 May;25(5):2689-2703. doi: 10.1007/s00784-020-03582-0. Epub 2020 Sep 19. PMID: 32949257; PMCID: PMC8060239.
