This is something I do not believe I have seen mentioned here on BPL previously… So I thought I'd mention it.
I have known about Miswaks for a long time. I was born in the Middle East and it is commonly used there. I have only recently started using it for backpacking, however.
A Miswak is basically a twig from Salvadora Persica tree. It has anti-bacterial properties and parallel bristles, which makes it a very effective tool for oral hygiene. There have been numerous studies done on Miswak which actually proved it to be more effective than toothbrushes and toothpaste. I'm not going to list the countless websites that site these studies, but a simple google search of "Miswak" will render you many articles to read about those studies.
I have had great success with using Miswak and I would recommend it to anyone. I no longer need to carry toothpaste of any kind, as the Miswak is effective enough on it's own. This also happens to be a very ultralight tool. Hope this helps some of you simplify your oral hygiene kit.
-Sid
