Coconut oil could fight tooth decay: Study

Scientists at Athlone Institute of Technology in Ireland have found that coconut oil could attack the bacteria that cause tooth decay, a breakthrough which may pave way for the usage of oil into commercial dental care products.

According to the scientists, it was found that the oil when treated with digestive enzymes became a powerful killer of micro organisms such as Streptococcus mutans, an acid-producing microbe that is a major cause of tooth decay.

The tests conducted on few products suggest that enzyme-treated coconut oil is harmful to the yeast Candida albicans, which causes candidiasis.

The findings were presented at a meeting of the Society for General Microbiology at the University of Warwick.

Scientists are further investigating as to how coconut oil interacts with the bacteria at the molecular level, and what other microbe strains and yeasts it can combat.

Athlone Institute of Technology lead researcher Dr Damien Brady said tooth decay is a commonly overlooked health problem affecting 60%-90% of children and the majority of adults in industrialised countries.

"Incorporating enzyme-modified coconut oil into dental hygiene products would be an attractive alternative to chemical additives, particularly as it works at relatively low concentrations. Also, with increasing antibiotic resistance, it is important that we turn our attention to new ways to combat microbial infection," added Brady.

Brady also said that the data suggests that products of human digestion show antimicrobial activity, which could have implications on how bacteria colonise the cells lining the digestive tract and for overall gut health.