The use of chewing sticks in preventive oral hygiene
Khoory, T.
Clinical Preventive Dentistry 5(4): 11-14
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0163-9633 PMID: 6607809 Document Number: 215891
Chewing sticks have been in popular use since the prophet Mohammed ordered his people to use a chewing stick as an implement for both and gum cleaning. It chewing sticks are used properly, they can provide excellent oral hygiene. They cleanse dental structures and prevent problems in 2 ways: by mechanical action of the soft wood fibers, and by therapeutic action of a chemical constituent of the chewing stick itself. Pharmacologic studies indicate that chewing sticks contain fluoride, silicon, alkaloids, essential oils, tannins, resins, gum and anthraquinones. Many of these agents are anticariogenic, control bacterial growth or protect oral tissues in some other manner.