Teeth-cleaning twig explained

A teeth-cleaning twig (in India: datun^[1]) is an oral hygiene tool made from a twig from a tree. It can help to prevent tooth decay and gum disease.

History

Chew sticks are twigs or roots of certain plants that are chewed until one end is frayed. This end can be used to brush against the teeth,^[2] while the other end can be used as a toothpick. The earliest chew sticks have been dated to Babylonia in 3500 BCE and an Egyptian tomb from 3000 BCE;^[2] they are mentioned in Chinese records dating from 1600 BCE^[3] In the Ayurvedas around 4th century BCE and in Tipitaka, in the Buddhist Canon around the 5th century BCE in India.^{[4] [5]}

The Indian way of using tooth wood for brushing is presented by the Chinese monk Yijing (635–713 CE) when he describes the rules for monks in his book:^[6]

A wide variety of plants can be used as .^[7]

In Africa, chew sticks are made from the tree Salvadora persica, also known as the "toothbrush tree". In Islam, this tree is traditionally used to create a chew stick called miswak, as frequently advocated for in the hadith (written traditions relating to the life of Muhammad).^[8]

In South India, neem is used as a teeth cleaning twig. Neem, in full bloom, can aid in healing by keeping the area clean and disinfected.

Traditional Sikhs still use datun today as it is written in their scriptures:

Twigs used

Teeth-cleaning twigs can be obtained from a variety of tree species. Although many trees are used in the production of teeth-cleaning twigs, some trees are better suited to clean and protect the teeth, due to the chemical composition of the plant parts. The tree species are:^{[9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]}

• Salvadora persica
• Sassafras
• Gumtree^[15]
• Lime tree (Citrusaurantafolia)^[16]
• Garcinia mannii in West Africa^[17]
• Orange tree (Citrus × sinensis)
• African laburnum (Cassia sieberiana)
• Tea tree
• Neem in the Indian subcontinent
• Vachellia nilotica, also called babool or kikar in the Indian subcontinent
• Dalbergia sissoo, also called sheesham in the Indian subcontinent
• Liquorice
• Gouania lupuloides
• Cinnamon
• Dogwood
• Olive
• Walnut
• Acacia catechu
• Acacia nilotica
• and other trees with bitter roots.

Europe and North America

• Apple
• Pear
• Bamboo
• Fig tree
• Hazelnut
• Willow
• Orange
• Lime
• Silver birch
• Olive
  • Walnut Liquorice root
• Nyssa sylvatica

Australia

• Mango
• Mangosteen

India

• Apamarga
• Arjun
• Bael
• Bargad
• Ber
• Dhak
• Gular
• Jamun
• Kamer
• Karanj
• Madar ak
• Mango
• Mulhatti
• Neem
• Peepal
• Safed babul or Acacia
• Tejovati
• Vijayasar

Carrying

Many companies produce special cases for carrying, storing and protecting chew sticks, known popularly as "miswak holders".

Attributes

When compared to toothbrushes, teeth-cleaning twigs have several differentiations such as:

• More ecological in its life-cycle.
• Dependence from external supplier, if lack of access to the respective trees.
• Some twigs need moistening with water if they become dry, to ensure the end is soft. The end may be cut afresh to ensure hygiene, and should not be stored near a sink. The twig is replaced every few weeks to maintain proper hygiene.
• Lower cost (0–16% of the cost of a toothbrush).
• Not standardized hardness. Careful selection of the right hardness is required before use.
• Use without toothpaste. Thus indefinite fluoride consumption.
• Cleaning teeth all day long, instead of twice a day for a few minutes. ^[15]

See also

• Ayurveda
• Babool (brand) of tooth paste in India, made from babool tree
• Miswak

Notes and References

1. Book: Winer, Lise. Dictionary of the English/Creole of Trinidad & Tobago. 2009. McGill-Queen's. 978-0-7735-7607-0. 285. [Bhojpuri],, [Hindi] 'toothbrush; twig for cleansing the teeth'.
2. Book: Panati, Charles. Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things. 2013. HarperCollins. 978-0-06-227708-4. 208–209.
3. Book: Yu. Hai-Yang. Qian. Lin-Mao. Zheng. Jing. Dental Biotribology. 2013. Springer. 978-1-4614-4550-0. 18–19.
4. https://suttacentral.net/an5.208 Dantakaṭṭha sutta (AN 5.208)
5. Singh . Abhinav . Purohit . Bharathi . Tooth brushing, oil pulling and tissue regeneration: A review of holistic approaches to oral health . Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine . 2011 . 2 . 2 . 64–68 . 10.4103/0975-9476.82525 . 21760690 . 3131773 . free .
6. Li, R., 2000. Buddhist Monastic Traditions of Southern Asia: A Record of the Inner Law Sent Home from the South Seas (p. 198). Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research.
7. Dantakasthas (Chewing Sticks) in Ayurveda: A Review . 10.31031/ACAM.2018.02.000536 . 31 January 2024 .
8. Web site: Search Results - miswak (page 1) - Sunnah.com - Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم). sunnah.com.
9. Web site: Neem tree as teeth cleaning twig . Batplants.co.uk . 2011-01-17.
10. Web site: Natural twigs used as teeth cleaning twigs . Naturaltoothbrush.com . 2011-01-17.
11. Web site: Neem tree as teeth cleaning twig 2 . Neem-products.com . 2011-01-17.
12. Web site: Natural toothbrush twigs . Naturallygreen.co.uk . 2007-09-15 . 2011-01-17.
13. Web site: Natural toothbrush overview . Nzherald.co.nz . 2007-06-19 . 2011-01-17.
14. Web site: Xuanzang (玄奘) <603 - 664>: Buddhist records of the Western world (大唐西域記), book VIII/IX.. www.payer.de.
15. Web site: Fletcher. Pascal. African twig brushes offer all-day dental care. The New Zealand Herald. NZME. 17 January 2011. 19 June 2007.
16. Ra'ed I. Al Sadhan, Khalid Almas . 1999 . Miswak (chewing Stick): A Cultural And Scientific Heritage. . Saudi Dental Journal . 11 . 2 . 80–88 .
17. Cheek (2004)