Knowledge and Use of Miswak amongst Dental Community and Patients

Introduction: Miswak or the chewing stick is used to clean teeth in many parts of Asia and Africa. Miswak use has beneficial effects on periodontal disease, caries and other aspects of oral health. Objectives: This study was undertaken to establish the frequency of miswak use and the level of knowledge about miswak among the dental community and patients at Lahore Medical & Dental College, Lahore, Pakistan. Materials & Methods: Questionnaires were used to collect data from the dental community and patients. Dental Community was categorized into dental students (3rd and 4th year BDS) and dentists. Dentists were subcategorized as junior (house officers, demonstrators, postgraduate trainees) and senior (faculty). Patients were categorized according to gender and age. Results: There were 407 respondents, 200 patients and 207 dental community members. Among patients 35.5% used miswak, 8% used miswak alone and 27.5% used it along with a toothbrush. Knowledge about miswak was adequate in 53.5% patients. There was significantly higher use of miswak in male patients and in patients age ≥ 45. Amongst the dental community 5.3% members used miswak. Half (51.7%) of the dental community recommended miswak use. Knowledge about the effects of the miswak was adequate in 23.7% members. Senior dentists were significantly more likely to use miswak and to recommend miswak to patients. Cultural and religious tradition was the most frequent reason cited by both patients and the dental community for using and recommending miswak. Conclusion: Our study corroborates evidence of miswak use in this region, and the trend of greater miswak use amongst men and older individuals. The dental community in our study was ill-informed about the effects of miswak on oral health.