Authors: Kevin Kuehne, Jake Hess. Mentors: Michael C Rotter. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Oral hygiene has ancient origins, predating recorded history and spanning back to Neanderthal times. Chewing sticks, one of the earliest oral hygiene methods, have had significant cultural and social influences across various civilizations. These chewing sticks were selected for a variety of reasons particularly for their plant anatomical and chemical properties that would allow for cleaning between teeth and preventing build up of organic food matter. We hypothesized that plants that were commonly used as chew sticks will contain phytochemicals that have natural occurring antimicrobial activity. Additionally we predict that these plants will have a higher wood density and a greater periderm to cortex ratio. Here we are reviewing a variety of woody plants traditionally thought to be used as chewing sticks in North America. We will use literature records to review the phytochemicals produced by these as well as the anatomical composition of these plants. We expect that the phytochemicals will have strong anti-microbial impacts and the anatomical structures of the plants will be ideal for gentle cleaning of teeth.
