Effects of Tongue Scraping on Plaque, Gingivitis, and Cavities
Channel: NutritionFacts.org
Date: 2023-01-16

Tongue scraping and tongue brushing have been practiced for centuries in many continents around the world, but do they do anything for plaque, gingivitis, and cavities?

Should we join much of the rest of the world who’ve been tongue scraping and tongue brushing for centuries, or are those practices like oil pulling (swishing oil between your teeth), where the risks outweigh the benefits? 

I did a series of videos about oil pulling, and the bottom line is you shouldn’t do it because you can accidentally breathe oil into your lungs and get something called lipoid pneumonia. It’s the same reason you should never put Vaseline or another petroleum jelly inside your nostrils: When you lie back at night, it drips down into your lungs. For more, see The Risks of Oil Pulling (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-risks-of-oil-pulling/).

Anyway, is tongue scraping legit? There doesn’t seem to be any benefit for plaque, gum disease, or cavities, but it sounds like there may be benefits for bad breath. Stay tuned!

This is the first in a five-video series on tongue scraping. Stay tuned for:
• Tongue Scraping vs. Tongue Brushing for Treating Halitosis (Bad Breath) (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/tongue-scraping-vs-tongue-brushing-for-treating-halitosis-bad-breath)
• Does Tongue Scraping Cause Cancer? (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-tongue-scrapers-cause-cancer)
• How Tongue Scraping Can Affect Heart Health (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-tongue-scraping-can-affect-heart-health)
• How to Clean Your Tongue (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-clean-your-tongue)

The halitosis videos I mentioned are How to Naturally Treat Tongue Coating-Associated Halitosis (Bad Breath) (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-naturally-treat-tongue-coating-associated-halitosis-bad-breath) and Foods That Cause and Help Halitosis (Bad Breath) (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/foods-that-cause-and-help-halitosis-bad-breath).

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Thanks for watching. I hope you’ll join in the evidence-based nutrition revolution!
-Michael Greger, MD FACLM

Captions for this video are available in several languages; you can find yours in the video settings. View important information about our translated resources: https://nutritionfacts.org/translations-info/

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