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Preventive

49 - Black Seed Oil as an Adjunct Mouth rinse

Friday, May 22, 2026
4:20 PM - 4:35 PM PST
Has Audio

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Melissa Bruno-Piverger, DDS

    Resident
    Howard University, Washington, D.C.
    Howard University College of Dentistry
    Waldrof, Maryland, United States

    • Co-Author(s)

  • IM

    Indra Mustapha, DDS

    Associate Professor of Research
    Howard University, Washington, D.C.
    Washington, District of Columbia, United States

    • Research Mentor(s)

  • IM

    Indra Mustapha, DDS

    Associate Professor of Research
    Howard University, Washington, D.C.
    Washington, District of Columbia, United States

    • Program Director(s)

  • LB

    LaToya Barham, DDS

    Program Director
    Howard University College of Dentistry Pediatric Department
    Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Abstract:

Black Seed Oil as an Adjunct Mouthrinse

Bruno-Piverger, M., Mustapha, I., Jeffries, D

Howard University College of Dentistry, Washington DC



Purpose: Within oral health, oil pulling has gained traction as an alternative to biannual professional cleanings for managing periodontal conditions, despite limited evidence beyond historical anecdotes. In this study, we aim to evaluate whether black seed oil, as an oil pulling regimen, leads to a decrease in the causative bacteria of periodontitis.

Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, a total of 10 participants were included and divided into two groups. Each group had a 18-20-day intervention with black seed oil or Listerine. After a two-week washout, they switched intervention groups. Saliva samples were taken at T0 (pre-intervention) and T1 (post-intervention period) for parts 1 and 2 of the experiment. The samples were analyzed using a lab, and the changes in bacterial load were analyzed in Microsoft Excel with paired t-tests to evaluate the difference between the initial and final microbial levels. P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Results: The black seed oil and the Listerine interventions worked to produce significant decreases in a variety of pathogenic bacteria. The Listerine seemed to act in a broad-spectrum manner, while the black seed oil was more selective and had fewer instances of opportunistic bacteria colonization, as well as allowing for colonization of the commensal bacteria.

Conclusions: This study suggests that black seed oil can potentially be used as an adjunct mouth-rinse with selective antimicrobial capabilities. More studies with larger sample sizes would need to be performed to verify the therapeutic dose and rinse time to have optimal effects. If proven to be effective at a stronger power with a stronger study, black seed oil may prove to be an additional option to patients who may have adverse side effects to chlorhexidine or who have preferences against the current recommendations. It may also lead to more studies into holistic approaches to dental and oral health concerns.

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