Clinical and Microbiologically Controlled Comparative Study on the Efficacy of Commercially Available Oils as Oil Pulling

Objectives: Marginal periodontitis is a biofilm-induced inflammatory disease that leads to the destruction of the periodontium. Although subgingival biofilm is the primary cause of periodontitis, it is not sufficient to trigger the disease. The inflammatory response of the host to the microbial load can lead to the destruction of the periodontium. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of commercially available oils as oil pulling for 10 minutes daily (experimental group G1) with airflow treatment (comparative group G2) in subgingival biofilm management. The study performed was a randomized clinical trial (RCT) focusing on clinical and microbiological endpoints. Materials and Methods: The efficacy of the "experimental group" and the "comparison group" was compared. 32 subjects were clinically and microbiologically evaluated at four different time points: t1 (pre-intervention), t2 (immediately post-intervention), t3 (4 weeks post-intervention) and t4 (6-week observation period). Results: A statistically significant reduction in total bacterial load (TBL) was achieved in both groups. No significant difference was found between the two groups for any of the clinical and microbiological parameters studied. Conclusions: The oil pulling achieved comparable results with the effectiveness of the comparative group in subgingival biofilm management, particularly regarding the total bacterial load. Further studies with a larger group of subjects and a longer observation period are needed to obtain more precise results.