People in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa and the Indian subcontinent traditionally cleaned their teeth with chew sticks made from the Salvadora persica tree. They’re called miswak.

A Dental Surgeon with Bethel Dental Clinic, Abuja, Dr Isikwei Uche, has said that the constant use of chewing stick to clean the mouth can wear out the surface of the teeth and the gum.

For some people, that fear sticks around even into adulthood, but there is a much bigger reason millions of Aussies are skipping out on their regular dental check up. Finder.com.au surveyed over ...