The miswak (Salvadora persica L.) chewing stick: Cultural implications in oral health promotion

Saudi Journal for Dental Research

Volumn 5, Issue 1, 2014, Pages 9-13

  Aboul Enein, Basil H ^a  

^a San Jacinto College   (United States)

Author keywords

Cultural competency; Islam; Miswak; Oral hygiene

Indexed keywords

EID: 84964688906     PISSN: 23520035     EISSN: 23520043     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.ksujds.2013.06.002     Document Type: Review

References (48)

1. Muhammad S., Lawal M.T. Oral hygiene and the use of plants. Sci Res Essays 2010, 5(14):1788-1795.
2. Bairwa R., Gupta P., Gupta V.K., Srivastava B. Traditional medicinal plants: use in oral hygiene. Int J Pharm Chem Sci 2012, 1(4):1529-1538.
3. Hyson J.M. History of the toothbrush. J Hist Dent 2003, 51(2):73-80.
4. Wolf W. A history of personal hygiene - customs, methods and instruments - yesterday, today, tomorrow. Bull Hist Dent 1966, 14(4):54-66.
5. Dahiya P., Kamal R., Luthra R.P., Mishra R., Saini G. Miswak: a periodontist's perspective. J Ayurveda Integr Med 2012, 3(4):184-187.
6. Wu C.D., Darout I.A., Skaug N. Chewing sticks: timeless natural toothbrushes for oral cleansing. J Periodontal Res 2001, 36(5):275-284.
7. Aziz S.R. Dentistry during the golden age of Islam. J N J Dent Assoc 1992, 63(4):49-51.
8. Herschfeld J.J. Dentistry in the writings of Albucasis during the golden age of Arabian medicine. Bull Hist Dent 1987, 35(2):110-114.
9. Khan M.M. The translation of the meanings of summarized Sahih Al-Bukhari 1996, Darussalam Publications, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
10. Halawany H.S. A review on miswak (Salvadora persica) and its effect on various aspects of oral health. Saudi Dent J 2012, 24(2):63-69.
11. Bos G. The miswak, an aspect of dental care in Islam. Med Hist 1993, 37(1):68-79.
12. Hooda A, Rathee M, Singh J. Chewing sticks in the era of toothbrush: a review. Internet J Family Pract 2011; 9 (2), 1. [accessed 12. 01.13]. http://www.ispub.com/journal/the-internet-journal-of-family-practice/volume-9-number-2/chewing-sticks-in-the-era-of-toothbrush-a-review.html#sthash.MaF4bXlx.dpbs2.
13. Khatak M., Khatak S., Siddqui A.A., Vasudeva N., Aggarwal A., Aggarwal P. Salvadora persica. Pharmacogn Rev 2010, 4(8):209-214.
14. Sofrata A., Brito F., Al-Otaibi M., Gustafsson A. Short term clinical effect of active and inactive Salvadora persica miswak on dental plaque and gingivitis. J Ethnopharmacol 2011, 137(3):1130-1134.
15. Darout I.A., Christy A.A., Skaug N., Egeberg P.K. Identification and quantification of some potentially antimicrobial anionic components in miswak extract. Ind J Pharmacol 2000, 32(1):11-14.
16. Chelli-Chentouf N., Tir Touil Meddah A., Mullie C., Aoues A., Meddah B. In vitro and in vivo antimicrobial activity of Algerian Hoggar Salvadora persica L. Extracts against microbial strains from children's oral cavity. J Ethnopharmacol 2012, 144(1):57-66.
17. Patel P.V., Shruthi S., Kumar S. Clinical effect of miswak as an adjunct to tooth brushing on gingivitis. J Indian Soc Periodontol 2012, 16(1):84-88.
18. Sofrata A., Santangelo E.M., Azeem M., Borg-Karlson A.K., Gustafsson A., Putsep K. Benzyl isothiocyanate, a major component from the roots of Salvadora persica is highly active against Gram-negative bacteria. PLoS One 2011, 6(8):e23045.
19. Ahmad H., Ahamed N. Therapeutic properties of meswak chewing sticks: a review. Afr J Biotechnol 2012, 11(83):14850-14857.
20. Darout I.A., Albandar J.M., Skaug N. Periodontal status of adult Sudanese habitual users of miswak chewing sticks or toothbrushes. Acta Odontol Scand 2000, 58(1):25-30.
21. Van Vuuren S.F., Viljoen A.M. The in vitro antimicrobial activity of toothbrush sticks used in Ethiopia. S Afr J Bot 2006, 72(4):646-648.
22. Batwa M., Bergstrom J., Batwa S., Al-Otaibi M.F. The effectiveness of chewing stick miswak on plaque removal. Saudi Dent J 2006, 18(3):125-133.
23. Sofrata A., Lingstrom P., Baljoon M., Gustafsson A. The effect of miswak extract on plaque pH. An in vivo study. Caries Res 2007, 41(6):451-454.
24. Almas K. The antimicrobial effects of seven different types of Asian chewing sticks. Odontostomatol Trop 2001, 24(96):17-20.
25. Almas K., Al-Bagieh N. The antimicrobial effects of bark and pulp extracts of miswak, Salvadora persica. Biomed Lett 1999, 60(235):71-75.
26. Al-Otaibi M., Al-Harthy M., Gustafsson A., Johansson A., Claesson R., Angmar-Mansson B. Subgingival plaque microbiota in Saudi Arabians after use of miswak chewing stick and toothbrush. J Clin Periodontol 2004, 31(12):1048-1053.
27. Sofrata A.H., Claesson R.L., Lingstrom P.K., Gustafsson A.K. Strong antibacterial effect of miswak against oral microorganisms associated with periodontitis and caries. J Periodontol 2008, 79(8):1474-1479.
28. Darout I.A., Albandar J.M., Skaug N., Ali R.W. Salivary microbiota levels in relation to periodontal status, experience of caries and miswak use in Sudanese adults. J Clin Periodontol 2002, 29(5):411-420.
29. Al-Khateeb T.L., O'Mullane D.M., Whelton H., Sulaiman M.I. Periodontal treatment needs among Saudi Arabian adults and their relationship to the use of the miswak. Community Dent Health 1991, 8(4):323-328.
30. Almas K., Al-Zeid Z. The immediate antimicrobial effect of a toothbrush and miswak on cariogenic bacteria: a clinical study. J Contemp Dent Pract 2004, 5(1):105-114.
31. Akhtar J., Siddique K.M., Bi S., Mujeeb M. A review on phytochemical and pharmacological investigations of miswak (Salvadora persica Linn). J Pharm Bioallied Sci 2011, 3(1):113-117.
32. Al Sadhan R.I., Alma K. Miswak (chewing stick): a cultural and scientific heritage. Saudi Dent J 1999, 11(2):80-88.
33. World Health Organization Prevention of oral diseases 1987, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland.
34. Amoian B., Moghadamnia A.A., Barzi S., Sheykholeslami S., Rangiani A. Salvadora Persica extract chewing gum and gingival health: improvement of gingival and probe-bleeding index. Complement Ther Clin Pract 2010, 16(3):121-123.
35. Eid M.A., Selim H.A. A retrospective study on the relationship between miswak chewing stick and periodontal health. Egypt Dent J 1994, 40(1):589-592.
36. Hirschfeld I. The toothbrush - its use and abuse: a treatise on preventive dentistry and periodontia as related to dental hygiene 1939, Dental Items of Interest Publishing, Brooklyn, NY.
37. Sirois M, Darby M, Tolle S. Understanding Muslim patients: cross-cultural dental hygiene care. Int J Dent Hyg. 2012 [accessed 11.01.13]. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1601-5037.2012.00559.x/abstract;jsessionid=675BF4DE1DFB2EB379460F619005598D.d02t02.
38. Garcia R.I., Cadoret C., Henshaw M. Multicultural issues in oral health. Dent Clin North Am 2008, 52(2):319-332.
39. Farsi J.M., Farghaly M.M., Farsi N. Oral health knowledge, attitude and behaviour among Saudi school students in Jeddah city. J Dent 2004, 32(1):47-53.
40. Darwish S. The management of the Muslim dental patient. Br Dent J 2005, 199(8):503-504.
41. Wagner J.A., Redford-Badwal D. Dental students' beliefs about culture in patient care: self-reported knowledge and importance. J Dent Educ 2008, 72(5):571-576.
42. Gregorczyk S.M., Bailit H.L. Assessing the cultural competency of dental students and residents. J Dent Educ 2008, 72(10):1122-1127.
43. Hewlett E.R., Davidson P.L., Nakazono T.T., Baumeister S.E., Carreon D.C., Freed J.R. Effect of school environment on dental students' perceptions of cultural competency curricula and preparedness to care for diverse populations. J Dent Educ 2007, 71(6):810-818.
44. Marino R., Morgan M., Hopcraft M. Transcultural dental training: addressing the oral health care needs of people from culturally diverse backgrounds. Commun Dent Oral Epidemiol 2012, 40(2):134-140.
45. Marino R., Hawthorne L., Morgan M., Bata M. Transcultural skills content in a dental curriculum: a comparative study. Eur J Dent Educ 2012, 16(1):e33-e40.
46. Kronfol N.M. Access and barriers to health care delivery in Arab countries: a review. East Mediterr Health J 2012, 18(12):1239-1246.
47. Darout I.A., Skaug N. Comparative oral health status of an adult Sudanese population using miswak or toothbrush regularly. Saudi Dent J 2004, 16(1):29-38.
48. Tubaishat R.S., Darby M.L., Bauman D.B., Box C.E. Use of miswak versus toothbrushes: oral health beliefs and behaviours among a sample of Jordanian adults. Int J Dent Hyg 2005, 3(3):126-136.