High cost of toothpaste: Nigerians return to chewing stick

We are now going back to the old ways of living in Africa. No thanks to the excruciating economic conditions Nigerians are facing.

Gone are the days when we compete with brands and qualities of toothpaste.

Even the least of the toothpastes cost an arm these days, and only the super-rich can afford them.

But for an average family, who depends on God’s mercies for a moderate one or two meals, out of the three required in a day, spending N5,000 on toothpaste that may not last two weeks for an average family of seven, is a misplaced priority.

So, it is no wonder that chewing sticks are back to the stable of family needs, Economy&Lifestyle have discovered.

Originally, chewing stick was a valued hygiene therapy mostly for the teeth, due to their high medicinal contents.

Chewing sticks are ordinarily from plants with rich medicinal values, and families of old insisted members compulsorily use them every morning.

However, with the spread of civilisation, toothpaste pushed the habit far into oblivion.

But now, the harsh economy has resuscitated the practice. According to Mr Vincent Osamese, a photographer, he reintroduced the use of chewing sticks in his house when he spent N4,000 on toothpaste in three weeks.

Wooden chewing sticks widely used in Nigeria for teeth cleaning namely are Garcinia kola, Anogeissus leiocarpus, Terminalia glaucescens, Sorindeia warneckei and Vitex doniana which according to a study by the National Library of Medicine and National Center for Biotechnology Information titled:”Antibacterial activities of extracts from Nigerian chewing sticks”, exhibited strong activities against a wide spectrum of bacteria including medically and dentally relevant bacteria.