Almond Oil Pulling vs Coconut: What the Trials Say
Oil pulling has a loyal following, and "can almond oil take coconut oil's place?" is a fair question from someone who already swishes. The honest answer starts with a surprise: the oil everyone treats as the standard has not shown much in the trials either, and almond oil has never been tested at all.
First, a word about our oil
Our sweet almond oil is cold-pressed, unrefined and sold for external cosmetic use only. We do not market it for the kitchen or the mouth, and because it is unrefined it carries trace almond protein, so anyone with a tree nut allergy should not use it. Food Allergy Research & Education lists nut oils such as almond oil among the things people with tree nut allergy avoid. If you want to try oil pulling, the oil should come from a food seller, and the plan should come from your dentist. Our cooking article looks at almond oil as a food ingredient.
What the trials really tested
Oil pulling means swishing a spoonful of oil around the mouth for several minutes. Two reviews pull the research together. A 2016 systematic review of randomized trials by Gbinigie and colleagues covered five trials and 160 participants who pulled for 10 to 45 days. None of the plaque or gum-score comparisons, against chlorhexidine rinse, placebo or routine hygiene, came out significantly different. The authors called the evidence limited and asked for better trials.
A 2022 meta-analysis by Peng and colleagues pooled nine trials with 344 people, five using sesame oil and four using coconut oil. Plaque and gum scores again showed no significant difference. The one measure that did move was the number of bacterial colonies grown from saliva, which was lower. That is a laboratory count, though, and the dentist's measures of plaque and gum health stayed put. The review authors also noted that four of the nine trials were rated low quality for risk of bias. None of them tested almond oil.
Put those together and the "almond versus coconut" question looks different. Swapping one oil for another does not move you from a proven habit to a lesser one; it moves you from a lightly studied habit to an unstudied one. Several of the trials compared oil with chlorhexidine and found no difference, which could mean oil pulling holds its own or that small, short trials cannot tell either one from nothing. That is our reading of the numbers, not a conclusion the reviewers drew, and it is a good reason to keep expectations modest.
What the American Dental Association says
The ADA's consumer site, MouthHealthy, says there are currently no reliable scientific studies showing that oil pulling reduces cavities, whitens teeth or improves oral health, and on that basis the association does not recommend it as a dental hygiene practice. Its routine is the familiar one: brush twice a day for two minutes with a fluoride toothpaste, clean between your teeth once a day, and avoid tobacco. Even the more hopeful trials treated oil pulling as an extra, never a replacement for brushing.
A practical note on swishing
Anything held in the mouth for many minutes can occasionally be breathed in. Kuroyama and colleagues described two people, aged 66 and 38, who developed a lung condition called lipoid pneumonia after pulling with sesame oil for 6 to 8 months; both improved after they stopped, one with steroids and a lung lavage. Two case reports do not tell us how often this happens, and they involved sesame oil, but the mechanism does not depend on the oil. Reasoning from it, anyone who has trouble swallowing or often chokes, and any young child, has the most reason to skip the practice. Spitting into a bin rather than the sink is common sense too, since oils can solidify in pipes; that part is plumbing, not research.
Where we would send you
- Tree nut allergy in the house? Keep almond oil out of the mouth and ask an allergist. Our allergy guide has the detail.
- Bleeding gums, pain, or breath that does not clear? Those are for a dentist, and waiting for an oil to work only delays the visit.
- Curious anyway? Check with your dentist first, use a food-grade oil, keep it short and never swallow it.
Why we would rather tell you plainly
We love our oil, and we would still rather say “nobody knows” than make up a benefit for your mouth. It is a better way to run a small business and a better way to be talked to. If you decide to try pulling with a food-grade oil, treat it as a gentle extra and keep the basics going.
Questions for your dentist
- Is oil pulling reasonable for me, given my teeth and gums?
- Would anything in my routine matter more?
- Should I avoid it for any reason, such as swallowing trouble?
Outside the mouth, a different story
For the outside of the body, our oil is easy to love: a soft glide, a gentle nutty scent and a quick-absorbing finish. Keep that picture in mind, and leave your mouth to your dentist and a food seller.
Our oil belongs on the outside: massage, carrying essential oils, and moisturizing skin after a patch test. If you want to see how almond oil stacks up against coconut on skin, we compare them in almond oil versus coconut oil, and our research roundup covers the trials that do exist for almond oil itself.
Sweet Almond Oil
Sweet Almond Oil from our own shop, in sizes from 0.5 oz to bulk.
From $9.99
Shop Now →Sources & Further Reading
- Gbinigie O et al., 2016. Effect of oil pulling in promoting oro dental hygiene: A systematic review of randomized clinical trials. Complement Ther Med. PubMed 27261981
- Peng TR et al., 2022. Effectiveness of Oil Pulling for Improving Oral Health: A Meta-Analysis. Healthcare (Basel). PMC9602184
- American Dental Association, MouthHealthy. Oil Pulling. mouthhealthy.org
- Kuroyama M et al., 2015. Exogenous lipoid pneumonia caused by repeated sesame oil pulling: a report of two cases. BMC Pulm Med. PMC4628246
- Food Allergy Research & Education. Tree Nut. foodallergy.org
