Nobody teaches people how to use it
Unlike the toothbrush, which is taught to children early, the miswak has a learning curve. A 2022 review asked for proper instructions, so we wrote them.1
Published Research
What Over 30 Published Miswak Papers Tell Us
The miswak stick has been studied for decades. Put together, the published research points to its benefits — and to three improvements we can make.
Shop the miswakThe three limitations of miswak
Why people stop using a miswak
Mold grows when a miswak is stored damp
A bathroom is warm and humid, and a 2024 study found bacteria on 84% of sticks within a month. This is why education matters, and why sticks turn black.2
The taste is sharp
Toothpaste has trained most people to expect a minty finish, but a fresh miswak tastes different — earthy, to some people. That difference puts new users off.
Research for “improved” miswak products already on the market
Two enhanced miswaks exist. A miswak-infused toothbrush was tested in 2023, and a fluoride-soaked stick was tested in 2017. Both lowered plaque in their trials, but there is missing context in the 2023 study.45
The 2023 trial tested three options side by side. It gave the ordinary toothbrush group fluoride toothpaste, gave the chewing stick group just the stick, and never specified whether the infused brush was used with toothpaste. Counting plaque tells you an end result, but not specifying what went into it makes the research hard to confirm.
Our ongoing research at Oxford University
MSc Nanotechnology for Medicine and Healthcare
We are currently conducting ongoing research at Oxford University through the MSc Nanotechnology for Medicine and Healthcare programme, focused on advancing the miswak stick for contemporary oral care by combating black mold and the lack of a minty finish. The work is supervised by Professor Peter Dobson OBE as principal supervisor.
Dissertation title: “Advancing the Miswak Stick for contemporary oral care: comparative analysis with modern toothbrush, understanding its limitations, effectiveness and identifying improvements.”
What we are not claiming
This is laboratory work. It is not in the stick you can buy today, which is the plain miswak with nothing added. While initial trials for improvements are ongoing, no results have been published, and many of our methods will be kept as trade secrets.
Questions
Questions People Ask
People are never taught the technique, a stick grows mold when it is stored damp, and the taste is sharp rather than minty. Our research goes after the mold and the taste.
No. What we sell today is the plain miswak, with nothing added to it and nothing taken out of it.
No. There has been no clinical trial, so we make no clinical claim about the laboratory work.
The mold that grows on a damp stick, and the sharp taste that puts new users off — both without changing the miswak itself.
Sources and references
Nothing here is medical advice or a clinical claim.
- Ramli, H., Mohd-Dom, T. N., Mohd-Said, S. et al. (2022). The effectiveness of miswak practices in reducing plaque and gingivitis among adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 298:115598.
- Altintepe Dogan, S. S., Ugur, S. G., Dogan, O. (2024). Microbial contamination of stored miswak sticks.
- Compositional analyses of Salvadora persica.
- 2023 trial comparing a miswak-infused toothbrush, a chewing stick and a conventional brush.
- 2017 trial of a fluoride-soaked miswak stick.
Read the comparison
See exactly where a miswak ties with a toothbrush, and where it pulls ahead.
Miswak vs Toothbrush