A triple-blind randomized clinical trial suggests that coconut oil may be an effective natural adjunct to periodontal therapy.
The study, published in the journal Clinical Oral Research, was conducted by a collaboration between several Spanish research institutions, including the Pardinhas Clinical Foundation, the A Coruña Biomedical Research Institute (INIBIC), and the A Coruña University Hospital.
A total of 30 patients diagnosed with stage II or III B/C periodontitis were recruited and randomly divided into three groups, using a coconut oil mouthwash, a 0.12% chlorhexidine mouthwash, or a placebo.
Saliva and gingival crevicular fluid samples were collected for analysis at the beginning of the study, one month after using the mouthwash, and one month after non-surgical periodontal treatment.
The study showed that coconut oil can significantly modulate the oral microbiome and reduce inflammation-related markers, indicating its potential as a supplement to standard periodontal therapy.
Using next-generation sequencing (NGS) and 16S rRNA metabarcoding analysis, the study found that coconut oil significantly reduced periodontal disease-associated pathogens in gingival crevicular fluid, including the family of Spirochaetes and Tannerella, while promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria such as the family of Streptococcus.
At the species level, coconut oil significantly reduced periodontal pathogens such as F. nucleatum and T. denticola.
Compared with placebo, the dysbiosis index in the coconut oil and chlorhexidine groups also decreased significantly, especially between the second and third sampling, reflecting the balance of the subgingival microbiota.
Coconut oil also showed a positive effect in the regulation of inflammation. Compared with placebo, the level of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the coconut oil group continued to decrease throughout the study period (P = 0.02), especially between the second and third sampling (P = 0.03).
At the same time, the level of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) also decreased significantly from the beginning of the study to the final test (P = 0.02), and showed better results compared with the chlorhexidine group (P = 0.05).
The research team finally chose pure virgin coconut oil with a lauric acid (C12:0) content of 47.92% as the mouthwash used in the study.
Patients were asked to rinse their mouths with 5 ml of coconut oil for 10 minutes after brushing their teeth at night, while the chlorhexidine group and the placebo group only rinsed their mouths for 1 minute.
The study pointed out that the antibacterial effect of coconut oil mainly comes from the medium-chain fatty acids in it, especially lauric acid, which have amphiphilic properties and can penetrate the bacterial membrane and destroy its structure, eventually leading to bacterial death.
Compared with the side effects of chlorhexidine, such as tooth staining, taste changes and allergies, coconut oil, as a natural product, has certain advantages in safety.
The researchers pointed out that although the preliminary results are optimistic, due to the limited sample size, further larger-scale studies are needed to verify its clinical efficacy and wide applicability.
Related topics:
