DUBAI: Dental hygiene is causing controversy online due to a Czech company’s new product — a twig from a salvadora persica tree plugged as a “toothbrush and toothpaste in one,” or as people from the Eastern hemisphere call it, Miswak.
Miswak twigs have been used to clean teeth in the Arab world, the Indian subcontinent and parts of Africa and Central and Southwest Asia for thousands of years, according to NDTV.
The bark contains an antibiotic which curbs the growth of bacteria and the formation of plaque, something which its Czech champions are using to advertise the product.
Czech company Yoni recently posted an advert to YouTube marketing their brand new product with no mention of its Eastern roots.
Now, Internet users are taking the company to task, not least because the Yoni sticks are being sold for $5 when each stick is typically sold for well under $1 in the Arab world and across the Indian subcontinent.
"They are thousand years late in their "discovery" We've been using MISWAK since forever," one Twitter user wrote.
"Really? You're going to take #Miswak, take a few edgy photos with some YT hipsters and try re-brand it the #rawtoothbrush. No. Just No," another user posted.
"I've used it as a kid, you will get at a fraction of the price in India," a user posted on Facebook.
