Editing Toothbrush (section)

===Precursors===
[[File:নিমের ডালের দাঁতন.jpg|thumb|Traditional [[Bengal]]i [[miswak]], made out of [[Neem tree]]]]

Before the invention of the toothbrush, a variety of [[oral hygiene]] measures had been used.<ref name=sammons-223>{{cite book |last=Sammons |first=R. |chapter=Control of dental plaque |title=Medical biofilms detection, prevention and control |year=2003 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |location=Chichester |page=223 |isbn=978-0-471-98867-0}}</ref> This has been verified by excavations during which tree [[twig]]s, bird [[feather]]s, animal [[bone]]s and [[porcupine]] quills were recovered.

The predecessor of the toothbrush is the [[chew stick]]. Chew sticks were twigs with frayed ends used to brush the teeth<ref name="origins" /> while the other end was used as a [[toothpick]].<ref name="dentalb">{{cite book|last1=Yu |first1=Hai-Yang |last2=Qian |first2=Lin-Mao |last3=Zheng |first3=Jing |title=Dental Biotribology |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tsSqVeaHUv0C&pg=PA19 |year=2013 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-4614-4550-0 |pages=18–19 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102131335/http://books.google.com/books?id=tsSqVeaHUv0C&pg=PA19 |archive-date=2014-01-02 }}</ref> The earliest chew sticks were discovered in [[Sumer]] in southern [[Mesopotamia]] in 3500 BC,<ref name="dentalb" /> an Egyptian tomb dating from 3000 BC,<ref name="origins" /> and mentioned in Chinese records dating from 1600 BC.

The Indian way of using tooth wood for brushing is presented by the Chinese Monk [[Yijing (monk)|Yijing]] (635–713 CE) when he describes the rules for monks in his book:<ref>Li, R., 2000. Buddhist Monastic Traditions of Southern Asia: A Record of the Inner Law Sent Home from the South Seas (p. 198). Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research.</ref>
"Every day in the morning, a monk must chew a piece of tooth wood to brush his teeth and scrape his tongue, and this must be done in the proper way. Only after one has washed one's hands and mouth may one make salutations. Otherwise both the saluter and the saluted are at fault. In Sanskrit, the tooth wood is known as the dantakastha—danta meaning tooth, and kastha, a piece of wood. It is twelve finger-widths in length. The shortest is not less than eight finger-widths long, resembling the little finger in size. Chew one end of the wood well for a long while and then brush the teeth with it."

The Greeks and Romans used toothpicks to clean their teeth, and toothpick-like twigs have been excavated in [[Qin dynasty]] tombs.<ref name="dentalb" /> Chew sticks remain common in Africa,<ref>''[[salvadora persica]]''</ref> the rural Southern United States,<ref name="origins">{{cite book|last=Panati |first=Charles |title=Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U662rR2VInQC&pg=PA208 |year=2013 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=978-0-06-227708-4 |pages=208–209 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102131409/http://books.google.com/books?id=U662rR2VInQC&pg=PA208 |archive-date=2014-01-02 }}</ref> and in the [[Muslim world|Islamic world]], the use of the chewing stick, [[miswak]], is regarded as a pious action and is prescribed for use before every prayer, occurring five times a day.<ref name="IslamKotob">IslamKotob, ''Muslims and Science'', (Islamic Books), p.30.</ref> Miswaks have been used by Muslims since the 7th century.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} Twigs of [[Neem]] Tree have been used by ancient Indians.<ref>{{Cite web|title=4 ways our ancestors used benefits from the neem tree|url=https://www.timesnownews.com/health/article/4-ways-our-ancestors-used-benefits-from-the-neem-tree/449982|access-date=2020-08-22|website=www.timesnownews.com|date=7 July 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sharma|first1=Abhishek|last2=Sankhla|first2=Bharat|last3=Parkar|first3=Sujal M|last4=Hongal|first4=Sudheer|last5=K|first5=Thanveer|last6=CG|first6=Ajithkrishnan|date=July 2014|title=Effect of Traditionally Used Neem and Babool Chewing Stick (Datun) on Streptococcus Mutans: An In–Vitro Study|journal=Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research|volume=8|issue=7|pages=ZC15–ZC17|doi=10.7860/JCDR/2014/9817.4549|issn=2249-782X|pmc=4149135|pmid=25177629}}</ref> Neem, in its full bloom, can aid in healing by keeping the area clean and disinfected. In fact, even today, Neem twigs called ''[[datun (twig)|datun]]'' are used for brushing teeth in India, although not hugely common.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Does Brushing With Neem Twig Help Give You Stronger Teeth and Gums? We Find Out|url=https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/does-brushing-with-neem-twig-help-give-you-stronger-teeth-and-gums-we-find-out-1897901|access-date=2020-08-22|website=NDTV Food}}</ref>