Journal of - International Society for the History of Islamic Medicine

The Developments on the Use of Misvaque
in the Turkish History of Dentistry
Ayşegül DEMIRHAN ERDEMIR
Misvak is used instead of toothbrush to clean teeth.
It is still popular among Muslims. The Islamic world had
already been using misvak centuries before the modern
toothbrushes were produced in the 18 th century, which
demonstrates the importance Muslims attached to teeth
cleaning. However, some other methods have been determined
to be used in several civilizations in the ancient
times. Two of such methods are using toothpicks and rubbing
teeth with some drogs. Assyrians of the ancient Mesopotamia
took great care of teeth cleaning. Some Mesopotamian
tablets say: “If a person’s teeth are yellowish, they
are cleaned with Akkad Salt turpentine and the mouth is
washed with honey and beer” (2). Mesopotamians knew
how to use toothpicks too. Excavations have revealed that
kings had toilet sets including thin sheets of gold and silver
used as toothpicks. In some excavations carried out in
northern Italy, Switzerland and France, it was found many
strings of toothpicks made of bronze, iron and silver. The
rings those strings were bound around had a tool to clean
ears, a small fork to scratch head or clean nails and a thin
lancet with a sharp point thought to be used as a toothpick.
Thus, it is possible to claim that oral health maintained with
toothpicks dates back to 3000 years ago (3). In the Hallstatt
region of Austria, it was found two rings carrying four
toilet tools made of bronze. Ancient Egyptians used acacia
coal to clean their mouths and whiten their teeth. Oral care
was important in Israel of the ancient times too. According
to Talmud, the holy book of the country then, a cane
should be minced into thin slices and each piece should
be used as a toothbrush. Salomon ben Isaac, who lived in
the 12 th century, recommended the same method. Moshen
ben Maimon (Maimonides) (1135-1204) stated that teeth
should be brushed after having bath with powdered cinnamon,
rose barks, salt and cuttlefish bones and after that,
mouth should be washed with vinegar. In the ancient Greek
civilization, Docies (4 th century) recommended cleaning
teeth with glue. In Europe, Desidarius recommended in his
work “De Civilitate Morium, Basil” (1530) that food remnants
between teeth should be taken out using hedgehog
spines or thin chicken bones. John Arderne (1307 - ), who
was an English surgeon, recommended mastic for teeth
cleaning. Toothpick became popular in Europe in 1400s
and English people began to use it in 1488.
The first modern toothbrush was made in 1780s in England
by William Addis. It was made of a bone stick with
holes at one of its end in which wisps of hair stabilized with
wires were inserted. Toothbrush spread in Boston in 1796.
It began to be produced in France in 1840 and later in Germany
and Japan. Pig hair was used in the earlier times, but
nylon was preferred after 1888. Foot bones of sheep were
the first material used for the handles of the toothbrushes.
Handles made of celluloid were produced in 1900s and
they were replaced by handles made of celluloid acetate
in 1930s. However, celluloid acetate handles required high
costs to produce, which caused the production of handles
made of plastic. In our day, electric toothbrushes are sold
everywhere. Japanese people have used some small sticks
for tooth health until the recent times. They were called
“koyoji” and used like misvak ripping fibers off one of the
ends. Today, very modern toothbrushes are produced in Japan.
In Africa, toothpicks called “msuaki” are popular all
around the continent (12).
The Islamic world was already using the technique of
brushing teeth with toothbrushes in the Middle Ages, a
long time before the 18 th century when Europeans began
to use them (16). As a matter of fact, the prophet Mohammad
emphasized the importance of tooth cleanliness
and he used misvak as toothbrush. He liked brushing his
teeth with it a lot (15). He has nearly 40 sayings about it.
He brushed his teeth with misvak when he came home
and woke up and before he performed his ablution, worshipped
and fasted (4). He used it when he woke up at night
to perform his ritual prayers too. He said “Use misvak! It
will clean your mouths. If it did not bother the believers
much, I would order them all to use misvak before every
ritual of worshipping. Two complete acts of worship in the
prescribed postures performed after using misvak are more
acceptable than seventy acts performed not using it before”
(9, 18). Besides this, Mohammad liked misvaks made of olive
trees best. Although misvak is mainly produced from
Salvadora Persica plant, pieces of the trunks, branches and
roots of 17 kinds of plant are used for the purpose. Senna
and peach tree are amongst those plants. His misvaks
were among Mohammad’s personal possessions left after
his death. Today, his two misvaks are exhibited in Topkapı
Palace together with the other holy relics. One of them was
made of misvak tree and the other one is of senna.
Turkish medical history suggests that the Turks of the
middle Asia knew about oral hygiene even in the middle
ages. Rubbing teeth with brushes, washing mouth and using
toothpicks called “hilal (crescent)” were all in the traditions
a long time before the adoption of Islam (8). After
Turks converted to Islam, they began to use misvak in
dentistry. Some medical manuscripts in Turkish give information
about oral health and misvak (13). For instance;
Germiyanlı Ozan, an eminent Turkish physician of the 15 th
century, translated Ahmed-i Dâî Ebu Nuaym Hâfız Isfahanî’s
“Eş-Şifa fi ahadis al-Mustafa” into Turkish and called it
“Kitâb-al Şifa fi ahadis al-Mustafa”. In this translation done
in the name of Timurtaş Paşazade Umur Bey, one of the vi-
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