Chewing sticks were not just popular in India (see my post on Ancient India). Ancient Muslims have been chewing on the branches of the Salvadora persica tree in order to keep teeth clean for centuries. These chewing sticks are still popular today and are readily available. The chewing stick, also known as a miswak, can be made from a variety of tree branches.
Cleaning before prayer is a basic tenant of the faith, and that is present is the Hadith. Muhammad himself is cited as saying “Were it not that I might overburden the believers-and in the hadith transmitted by Zuhair” people” -I would have ordered them to use toothstick at every time of prayer.” Throughout the Sahih Muslim, a collection of hadith collected by Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj during his lifetime, it is stated that the Prophet Muhammad used a tooth-stick before times of prayer.
In another book of hadith, the Sahih Bukhari, it is attested that the Prophet said “The taking of a bath on Friday is compulsory for every male Muslim who has attained the age of puberty and (also) the cleaning of his teeth with Siwak, and the using of perfume if it is available.” It is also written that he “It (i.e. Siwak) is a purification for the mouth and it is a way of seeking Allah’s pleasures.”
A study performed in 2012, confirmed the use of the miswak in oral hygiene. Compounds released while chewing on the stick have been proven to have an antimicrobial effect, assist in tissue repair, help remove stains from the teeth and reduce the risk of gingivitis. And while not all of the results were favorable, including the concern that the anterior teeth will be excessively scrubbed with continued miswak use, the study concludes that when used properly, in conjunction with modern oral hygiene methods, the miswak “will result in superior oral health and hygiene.”
Regardless of its name, be it toothstick, miswak, siwak, or chewing stick, the significance of Salvadora persica in medieval oral hygiene is unmistakable. Its popularity today in oral hygiene is steeped in a long religious history and an understanding of its success in the prevention of tooth decay.
Abū al-Qāsim Khalaf ibn al-‘Abbās al-Zahrāwī al-Ansari, commonly known as al-Zahrawi (Latinized: Abulcasis) is considered to be the father of modern surgery and was perhaps the greatest surgeon of the Middle Ages. He wrote a thirty-volume work entitled Kitab al-Tasrif outlining various medical practices. In Treatises XXI and XXX, he discusses not only dental diseases and how to treat them but sketches out tools used in the proper care of teeth. Some of the dental tools he designed are still used today. In fact, his contributions are so great, I will be doing a separate post on it.
Ancient Egypt
Muslims were not the only culture to have a tradition of oral hygiene in Africa. The ancient Egyptians also took pains to ensure the teeth were kept healthy and clean. They have a long history of oral hygiene and dentistry. Of the twelve medical papyri discovered, four provide insight into dental care. These are the Ebers, Kahun, Berlin, and Hearst.
The Ebers Papyrus, estimated to have been written around 1500 BC, contains 700 magical formulas and remedies. It is 110-pages and is approximately 20 meters long. It is considered to be one of the most important medical papyri of Ancient Egypt. Of these 700 remedies, 11 pertain to oral care, 4 of which discuss the hygiene of teeth.
Eb. 89 8-9 “For treating the teeth by rinsing in the mouth. In this case two plants are to be chewed and spat out. The vehicle is sweet ale.”
Eb. 89 10-11 “For inflammation of the gyms, perhaps stomatitis. The drugs are the homely date and beans, which are to be exposed to the dew, mixed with milk, and chewed and spat out, for nine days.”
Eb. 89 11-12 “Another for the same. In this case the vehicle is oil and water.”
Eb. 89 12-13 reads “A paste for ‘making healthy’ the teeth. Two vegetable drugs, mandrake and a species of Potentilla, chewed and spat out. The vehicle is sweet ale.”
Additional evidence exists that the Egyptians also utilized chewing implements for their oral hygiene. Priests chewed natron pellets. This is a mineral salt found in dried lake beds. It is also speculated that they used something similar to a miswak to care for their teeth.
Works Cited in Order of Appearance:
- Khan,M. Muhsin (translator) Sahih Al Bukhari – Islamic English Translation, 2009 online publication p. 207 and 440
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1013905212000181
- Leek, F. Filce. “The Practice of Dentistry in Ancient Egypt.” The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, vol. 53, 1967, pp. 51–58. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3855573
- Goryawala, S.. “Vista of Oral Hygiene”. Dental Caries – Diagnosis, Prevention and Management, edited by Zühre Akarslan, IntechOpen, 2018. 10.5772/intechopen.75382