Miswāk

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Miswak

Miswāk ( Arabic المسواك, DMG miswāk , Pl. Masāwīk ), also Siwāk , denotes a branch, a bud or a piece of the root of the toothbrush tree ( Salvadora persica ), which is used to clean the teeth . The miswak is a traditional form of the toothbrush that is common in the Arab world and under various names in many other Islamic countries from North Africa to Southeast Asia. The approximately 20 centimeters long branch is chewed on one end until a kind of brush is formed.

Dissemination and use

The tradition of chewed branches for dental care can be traced back to the Babylonians in the middle of the 4th millennium BC. Trace back to BC. The toothbrush tree grows in the deserts of Arabia , East Africa and the Middle East and combines the properties of toothbrush and toothpaste . It naturally contains substances that protect and clean the teeth. No water or toothpaste is required to clean teeth with the Miswak. A twig is cut off and one end is chewed until it is frayed enough to form a brush . Then the teeth are brushed with it and the pieces of wood that break off are spat out. These sticks are used to clean the teeth, as a tongue scraper and to massage the gums .

The miswak has a fluoride content of 8 to 22 ppm and has been used for teeth cleaning since ancient times. The use of chewed twigs was already mentioned in the ancient Indian code of Manu and recommended in the famous ancient Indian collection of medical knowledge Sushruta (around 400 AD).

The miswak plays a major role in the Islamic world. Although it is not mentioned in the Koran , Mohammed is said to have used it regularly according to the hadith literature . In the Twelve Shia , the use of the Siwāk is recommended ( mandūb ).

The samples available in Germany are mostly imported from Pakistan . Some manufacturers screw them onto toothbrush handles in order to better accommodate the habits of occidental users, but also to enable better cleaning of the back rows of teeth.

Dental care ingredients

The ingredients of the Miswak are fluoride , calcium salts (both suitable for dental caries prophylaxis ) and silicon (for strengthening teeth). Other ingredients are tannins , saponins , vitamin C , flavonoids and chlorides .

Other types of wood

Toothbrush sticks are also made from other woods. In the western Sahara these are Maerua crassifolia (family of the caper plants ), a woody bush whose bitter-tasting leaves can be eaten. In Mauritania it is called Hassania atīle (Pl. Atīl ). Salvadora persica is called there tiǧṭaīye (Pl. Tiǧǧet ). Commiphora africana ( balsam family , adreṣaīe , Pl. Adreṣ ) and desert dates ( Balanites aegyptiaca , hassania tišṭāye , Pl. Tišṭāy, teīšeṭ ) are also used in this region . Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides is also used in southern Burkina Faso . In India, branches of the neem tree are used for brushing teeth. In Malaysia and Indonesia , toothbrush sticks, which were previously used especially after eating betel, are called kayu sugi in Malay .

literature

  • Gerrit Bos, The miswak, an aspect of dental care in Islam. In: Medical History, 37, 1, 1993, pp. 68-79
  • M. al-Otaibi: The miswak (chewing stick) and oral health. Studies on oral hygiene practices of urban Saudi Arabians. In: Swedish Dent. Journal Suppl. Volume 167. 2004. pp. 2-75. PMID 15224592
  • K. Almas, N. Skaug, I. Ahmad: An in vitro antimicrobial comparison of miswak extract with commercially available non-alcohol mouthrinses. In: International Journal of Dental Hygiene. Volume 1, Issue 3. pp. 18-24, PMID 16451373 .
  • K. Almas: The effect of Salvadora persica extract (miswak) and chlorhexidine gluconate on human dentin: a SEM stud. In: Journal of Contemporary Dental Practice. Volume 3, Issue 3. pp. 27-35
  • Vardit Rispler-Chaim: The Siwāk: A Medieval Islamic Contribution to Dental Care. In: Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society , Third Series, Vol. 2, No. 1, Cambridge University Press, April 1992, pp. 13-20

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hassan Suliman Halawany: A review on miswak ( Salvadora persica ) and its effect on various aspects of oral health. In: The Saudi Dental Journal , Volume 24, No. 2, April 2012, pp. 63-69, here p. 63
  2. ↑ Sahīh al-Buchārī , Archived Copy ( Memento of January 8, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
    • Book 4, No. 245 + 246
    • Book 13, No. 12 + 13
    • Book 21, No. 237
    • Book 31, No. 154
    • Book 53, No. 332
    • Book 59, No. 722
    • Book 60, No. 93
    • Book 90, No. 346
  3. ↑ Saheeh Muslim , Book 4, No. 1841; Book 20, No. 4490.
  4. ↑ Cf. al-Hilli : Muntahā al-maṭlab fī taḥqīq al-maḏhab. Mašhad 1412q. Vol. I, p. 285.
  5. ↑ Monika Geier: Morbach dentist invents the SWAK. In: In the green. SWR , November 3, 2009, accessed on April 29, 2015 (German).
  6. ↑ Hamid Reza Poureslami, Abbas Makarem, Faraz Mojab: Paraclinical Effects of Miswak Extract on Dental Plaque. In: Dental Research Journal , Volume 4, No. 2, Fall-Winter 2007, pp. 106-110
  7. ↑ Fatemeh Ezoddini-Ardakani: Efficacy of Miswak (salvadora persica) in preventing dental caries. In: Scientific Research Publishing , Volume 2, No. 5, 2010, pp. 499-503, here p. 499
  8. ^ Wolfgang Creyaufmüller: Nomad culture in the Western Sahara. The material culture of the Moors, their handicraft techniques and basic ornamental structures . Burgfried-Verlag, Hallein (Austria) 1983, p. 440
  9. ↑ Thiombiano et al .: Catalog des Plantes vasculaires du Burkina Faso . CJB Genève 2012.