Evaluating the effect of virgin coconut oil pulling on viral load, bacterial load and inflammatory mediator levels in chronic periodontitis – A clinical study

Q1 Medicine

Journal of oral biology and craniofacial research Pub Date : 2025-01-01 DOI:10.1016/j.jobcr.2025.01.004

Monika M , Rudhra K , Vennila K , Elanchezhiyan , Sri Harini P , S. Shakeron

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background and objective

Periodontitis and dental caries are among the most prevalent oral diseases, with chronic periodontitis being a multifactorial, infectious condition that leads to inflammation in the supporting structures of the teeth, progressive attachment loss, and bone resorption. Chronic periodontitis is driven by a consortium of pathogenic microorganisms. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of virgin coconut oil (VCO) pulling in reducing the microbial load and inflammatory mediators responsible for chronic periodontitis, in comparison to chlorhexidine (CHX) mouthwash and distilled water.

Methods

Thirty patients diagnosed with chronic periodontitis were randomly allocated into three groups. Group A served as the control and used distilled water for oral rinsing, Group B used chlorhexidine mouthwash, and Group C performed oil pulling with virgin coconut oil. Pre-operative subgingival plaque samples were collected from all participants, followed by complete scaling and root planing. Post-operative samples were collected after four weeks. Both pre- and post-treatment samples were subjected to real-time PCR (rtPCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to quantify viral and bacterial loads, as well as levels of key inflammatory mediators.

Results

A significant reduction in viral load, bacterial load, and inflammatory mediators was observed in both the VCO and CHX groups compared to the distilled water group. The reductions in the VCO and CHX groups were statistically significant, with comparable efficacy between the two interventions.

Conclusion

Virgin coconut oil pulling demonstrated a significant reduction in microbial and inflammatory markers in patients with chronic periodontitis, showing similar efficacy to chlorhexidine mouthwash. Given its comparable therapeutic effects and reduced side effect profile, VCO presents a viable alternative to chlorhexidine for managing chronic periodontitis.

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来源期刊

Journal of oral biology and craniofacial research Medicine-Otorhinolaryngology

CiteScore

4.90

自引率

0.00%

发文量

133

审稿时长

167 days

期刊介绍： Journal of Oral Biology and Craniofacial Research (JOBCR)is the official journal of the Craniofacial Research Foundation (CRF). The journal aims to provide a common platform for both clinical and translational research and to promote interdisciplinary sciences in craniofacial region. JOBCR publishes content that includes diseases, injuries and defects in the head, neck, face, jaws and the hard and soft tissues of the mouth and jaws and face region; diagnosis and medical management of diseases specific to the orofacial tissues and of oral manifestations of systemic diseases; studies on identifying populations at risk of oral disease or in need of specific care, and comparing regional, environmental, social, and access similarities and differences in dental care between populations; diseases of the mouth and related structures like salivary glands, temporomandibular joints, facial muscles and perioral skin; biomedical engineering, tissue engineering and stem cells. The journal publishes reviews, commentaries, peer-reviewed original research articles, short communication, and case reports.