Anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial efficacy of coconut oil for periodontal pathogens: a triple-blind randomized clinical trial
Abstract
To evaluate the effect of coconut oil on the oral bacteriome and inflammatory response in patients with periodontitis by integrating next-generation sequencing analyses of pathogenic bacterial shifts and quantification of inflammatory markers, thereby assessing its potential as a natural adjunct to standard nonsurgical periodontal therapy. A triple-blind clinical trial was conducted with 30 participants diagnosed with periodontitis, randomized into 3 groups: (1) coconut oil, (2) chlorhexidine and (3) placebo. Saliva and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) samples were collected before treatment, one month after treatment, and one month post-non-surgical periodontal therapy. Bacterial DNA was extracted, and the V3-V4 region of the 16 S rRNA gene was PCR-amplified and sequenced using Illumina MiSeq technologies. Inflammatory biomarkers, including Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), were quantified from GCF samples. Coconut oil treatment significantly reduced pathogenic bacterial families such as Spirochaetaceae and Tannerellaceae while promoting beneficial bacteria such as Streptococcaceae. At the genus and species levels, coconut oil reduced pathogens such as Tannerella forsythia and Treponema denticola along with increase in beneficial bacteria such as Streptococcus. The subgingival microbial dysbiosis index improved significantly in both coconut oil and chlorhexidine groups. Furthermore, the coconut oil demonstrated a reduction in IL-6 and TNF-α…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design. Reported size: 30 participants or records.
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