Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of sesame oil pulling in periodontitis with/without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), compared to chlorhexidine, for its oral and systemic health benefits.
Method and materials: A total of 120 periodontitis patients, without (Group A; 60)/with (Group B; 60) T2DM, underwent control (chlorhexidine 0.12%; Group A1 and B1) and test (sesame oil pulling; Group A2 and B2) interventions. Plaque index, pocket depth, salivary total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) enzyme-linked-immunosorbent-assay (ELISA), subgingival plaque BANA test, and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) were evaluated at baseline and 30 days post-intervention using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with a significant P value set at .05. Group B serum samples were also analyzed for fructosamine and lipid profile.
Results: Both treatment regimens were equivalent in reduction of plaque, pocket depth, and red complex periodontopathogens in Group A and B. Significant increase in salivary T-AOC post-intervention was observed in Group B with both interventions (P .01). Sesame oil pulling significantly decreased systemic CRP and triglyceride levels, with no difference observed with chlorhexidine in Group B.
Conclusion: Sesame oil pulling is equivalent to chlorhexidine for anti-plaque, antibacterial, and antioxidant effects in periodontitis patients with/without T2DM. Systemic anti-inflammatory, cardio-protective benefits (reduction of CRP and triglycerides) make it a better adjunct to scaling and root planing than chlorhexidine in periodontitis with T2DM.