Comparative Evaluation of Conventional Toothbrushing with Traditional Miswak for Oral Hygiene Maintainence in a Socially Disadvantaged Young Muslim Population.

ABSTRACT

Background: Chewing sticks were used throughout the Greek and Roman empires and by many communities till date. Many people do not use modern oral hygiene aids such as toothbrushes due to reasons like cost, customs and religious reasons and accessibility. The miswak, obtained from the twigs of the Salvadora persica tree, may be beneficial due to its mechanical cleaning. The aim of the present study was to assess and compare the oral hygiene status and gingival conditions following the use of conventional tooth brushing and miswak in socially disadvantaged subjects over a period 100 days. Methods: The study was conducted in an orphanage in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. Out of the total 354 subjects, 180 subjects who were within this selected age group were followed and examined After acquiring the permission and the information to the subjects a total of 148 subjects, were voluntarily willing to participate in the study. Out of these subjects 72 subjects were using miswak (Group I), 46 subjects were using tooth brush and tooth paste (Group II) while 30 subjects (Group III) accepted that they were using both miswak as well as tooth paste and tooth brush as an oral hygiene aid. All of these subjects were evaluated for Gingival and Plaque status on 50th and 100th day following oral prophylaxis. The Mean, Standard Deviation, One way ANOVA test and Scheffe test were performed to reveal the statistical significance. Results: Both Group II and Group III showed a significant difference (p≤0.05), at 50th and 100th day in their mean plaque scores. The mean gingival scores recorded for subjects using only miswak and those subjects using both miswak as well as tooth brush and tooth paste increased from 50th day to 100th day and showed a statistical difference between the two means. Conclusion: The results of the present study suggest that miswak can be used as an effective adjunct for oral hygiene maintenance along with toothbrush and tooth paste as it is readily available and inexpensive.