Exogenous lipoid pneumonia caused by repeated sesame oil pulling: a report of two cases

Abstract

BackgroundExogenous lipoid pneumonia is a rare disease caused by aspiration or inhalation of oily substances.Case presentationA 66-year-old male with dry cough (Case 1) and a 38-year-old female with shortness of breath (Case 2) demonstrated ground-glass opacities on chest computed tomography and were diagnosed with lipoid pneumonia based on the confirmation of lipid-laden alveolar macrophages. Both patients habitually performed sesame oil pulling via nasal or mouth washing for several months prior to the diagnosis.ConclusionSteroid therapy and bronchoalveolar lavage resulted in improvement in Case 1, and no intensive therapy was required for Case 2. Sesame oil pulling has been rarely been reported to cause lipoid pneumonia.

Effect of oil pulling in promoting oro dental hygiene: A systematic review of randomized clinical trials

“…There have been a few case reports of lipoid pneumonia thought to be caused by aspiration of pulled oil; however, the authors were speculating and there was no definitive proof that lipoid pneumonia was caused by oil pulling. 40,41 Long-term use of CHX causes staining of teeth and may cause other gastrointestinal side effects.…”

Comparison of antibacterial efficacy of coconut oil and chlorhexidine on Streptococcus mutans: An : An in vivo study study

“…Complications of oil Complications of oil pulling using sesame oil has been reported in the literature[3132] No reports on adverse effects on coconut oil pulling has been reported. Coconut oil is commonly available in local market and is cheap when compared to other mouthwashes available in the market.…”

Oil pulling for maintaining oral hygiene – A review

“…40% of patients have mild or no symptoms. Severe pneumonia with acute symptoms can be fatal to the patient 30 . Oil may be unintentionally aspirated during oil pulling.…”