Some Indian health authority said he looked at oil with a microscope after OP and saw lots of bacteria in it, so it apparently gathers up bacteria from the tissues. I don't use any other mouth rinse, salt, baking soda, or anything, and my tooth infections started clearing up within 4 or 5 days of starting OP. So that tells me it kills the bacteria. Someone said coconut oil kills bacteria, which is what I use for OP. I don't know if other oils do, but OP has cleared up my infections by and large. The idea that it pulls out toxins, besides bacteria, is plausible, but it's less certain to me than the above statements, until there's definitive lab analysis.