[Olùkọ́ Ọbádélé]

Between Chewing Stick and Tooth Brush

http://www.africaservice.com/articles/index.php?blog=6 .


Today, Africa is a continent of anything that goes. Every minute in Africa, people are throwing away inherited values, culture and their traditions for just no cause other than being exposed to another culture the origin of which they no next to nothing about or have the money or the knowledge to protect. To every creature, their is a culture, there is tradition mostly informed by environmental factors. While some things might work in another culture, it is not a guarantee that after some time such thing will not pose health hazard or other form of hazard. Therefore, we need to urgently start looking at what is left of our values and culture; subject them to rigorous test of our time, filter the unproductive ones and preserve without delay those that are beneficial to us.


Let's take for example the issue of toothpaste and toothbrush. Readers will agree with me that the two are alien to Africa. Most countries in Africa currently have all sorts of tooth pastes and brushes in their markets some suitable for African teeth while some are not. The instructions on some of them are not written in the language understood by the people. Our lack of adequate research outlets to test most of these stuffs continue to pose some danger to our being.

Are these products of high quality? What effect will they have now or at a later stage? Are they re-packaged? What about the materials used?

What happens to our chewing sticks? Some chewing sticks have been tested alongside tooth paste and discovered to contain almost the same anti-bacterial ingredient. If that is the case why then are we not using chewing sticks instead of tooth brush?

Advantages of chewing sticks over tooth brushes:

1. It does not eat the gum.
2. Better grip and control in navigating the curvature of the mouth
3. Contain fiber that can penetrate the lining of the teeth.
4. Chewing is a good exercise for the jaw and could solidify the tooth.
5. Most chewing sticks have medicinal properties

Disadvantages:

1. Inconsistent size as a result of usage
2. Could be unhygienic if not watched after use
3. Require more time than ordinary brush
4. Could become dry and thorny...
5. Might require tooth picking after use
6. More time is required to chew the stick into usable fiber needed to clean the teeth

Cares for using chewing stick

1. Wash hands before using
2. Wash chewing stick before using
3. Chew properly
4. Discard as soon as your hand is entering your mouth
5. Use original chewing stick or similar stick that retains fiber after chewing
6. Keep in a cool and hygenic place after use

Precaution

Some sticks might be toxic, so care should be taken in your choice of chewing stick.


Dele Olawole
Indigenous African Technology Development