Researchers from the Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) in Ireland have found that coconut oil effectively inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria that can cause cavities and mouth infections, without causing any harmful side-effects.

For their study, a team of researchers from the school added enzymes to coconut and several other oils to mimic how these oils would normally be processed during digestion. The team then applied the digested form of each of the oils to several strains of bacteria, including Streptococcus mutans, a common acid-producing bacteria often found inside the mouth, and Candida albicans, a highly problematic yeast strain that can cause oral thrush infection.