Antioxidant, antibacterial, and systemic efficacy of sesame oil-pulling in periodontitis and diabetes management

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of sesame oil-pulling in periodontitis with/without Type2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), compared to Chlorhexidine, for its oral and systemic health benefits.

Material and methods: Total of 120 periodontitis patients, without (Group A; 60)/with (Group B; 60) T2DM, underwent control (chlorhexidine 0.12%; Group A1 & B1) and test (sesame oil-pulling; Group A2 & B2) interventions. Plaque index, pocket depth, salivary total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) enzyme-linked-immunosorbent-assay (ELISA), subgingival plaque BANA test, and serum CRP were evaluated at baseline and 30 days post-intervention using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with a significant p-value set at 0.05. Group B serum samples also analyzed for Fructosamine and lipid profile.

Results: Both treatment regimens were equivalent in reduction of plaque, pocket depth, red complex periodontopathogens in Group A & B. Significant increase in salivary T-AOC post-intervention observed in Group B with both interventions (p<0.01). 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 better adjunct to Chlorhexidine in periodontitis with T2DM.