Miswak what?

As I am now needing a dentifrice because my Colgate Herbal is almost finished. It's not available at the nearest supermarket so I went to the town to search another toothpaste (Colgate Herbal in particular).

And I saw the label, Miswak. Miswak what? It's like a local name of a wheat noodle. Then the Googling went into my mind.

In culmination of the Eid'l Fitr, Miswak is Muslim related! and yes, it's an alien word to me & even in the western world and you know what? it is not just a twig but a "wonder twig" obtained fromthe Arak tree (Peelu tree) although a few other trees can also be used to obtain it such as walnut & olive. Some studies taken that this twig is far more better than a toothpaste in preventing periodontal disease. It is one of the early cleaning tool in the mouth before the birth of toothbrush. The use of the "wonder twig" is wide-spread in the Muslim population of the world, and is a common entity in Muslim countries. Why? Because it is also attributed to their religious beliefs.

Aside from the religious side, let's go for its benefits. And here it goes:

• Kills Gum disease causing bacteria.
• Fights plaque effectively.
• Fights against caries.
• Removes Bad breath and odor from mouth.
• Creates a fragrance in the mouth.
• Effectively clean between teeth due to its parallel bristles.
• Increases salivation and hence inhibits dry mouth (Xerostomia)

Resarch sponsored by Wrigley Company (makers of JuicyFruit & DoubleMint) showed that mints lacked with Miswak extract were 20 times more effective in killing bacteria than ordinary mints alone. A small testimony  to this fact is that after half an hour, the mints laced with Miswak extract killed about 60% compared to regular mints that managed to kill 3.6% of the total bacterial count.

Journal of Periodontology (August 2008 Issue) appeared a study by researchers from Sweden. They seen that suspended Miswak pieces in a petridish (medium for culturing bacteria) were able to kill bacteria that cause periodontal disease with out being in physical contact with the bacteria. The researchers suggested that Miswak might be giving antibiotics as gases trying to explain this phenomenon.

A study conducted by a group of dentists at King Saud University concluded that using Miswak was at least as good as tooth brushing, if not better. There have been plenty of published studies on Miswak and infact entire books published which study its oral and systemic benefits.

So, among these studies, this "wonder twig" should have more & more media exposure to formulate more dental products using Miswak. And more further studies to be conducted both in dental student's thesis and in big time research companies. So Colgate, thank yo for the herbal toothpaste & integrating Miswak in it. :D


P.S. thank you dentalhealthsite.com for a more informative article than Wikipedia. Peace (",)V

Guinée Équatoriale beaucoup de problème

My first journey outside the Philippines for a dental job is in the only Spanish-colonized country in the continent of Africa.. Equatorial Guinea. At first I asked myself... "Where in the world is Equatorial Guinea?" I have known a little African countries such as Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Ethiopia and others. But Equatorial Guinea? Sounds new country to me. 

Well to make the long story short, it just took me 5 months to say goodbye to that country. As Gustavo, my friend there always says "Doctor, Guinea Ecuatorial beaucoup beaucoup de problème." And I agree to that. Why? According to WIkipedia, the GDP of the country is $20,200 per capita. Meaning, the GDP of E.Guinea is like the capita of other European Union country. Plus the discovery of oil reserves which counts them as the third-largest oil producer in the Sub-Saharan Africa. But why beaucoup de  problème? Maybe Forbes can answer this question.

Yes people of the world, it is the single word to explain... Corruption. It is now the age of 2010 and beyond but most of the part of the city doesn't have electricity. Imagine, one of the largest oil producer in Africa has problem with electricity. It is kinda ironic as it seems but that is the reality. And it is part of the top 10 on the list. As far as my observation goes, the country is very promising. It has all its resources it needs. But when attitude strikes such as being bad to the people who are helping improve the country (esp. foreigners), well I can't say... They can live the life but they don't have the skills and expertise. Police & Military power also is abusive. They will extort yo money for snack, beer or just for fun. Yes, it is wide-spread in Africa but it only takes a political will by the president itself to make the country progress. 

I'm just sad that a very promising country is still in the chain of, not command, but corruption. That is why I didn't had the guts to stay long & finish my contract. I don't like to be influenced by that system. But I am very fortunate to stayed there... for learning experience.