Oral hygiene: a history of tongue scraping and brushing.

Tongue scraping and brushing have been practiced for hundreds of years but are still little appreciated or used by the public. Throughout the centuries, tongue scrapers have been constructed of thin, flexible strips of wood, various meals, ivory, mother-of-pearl, whalebone, celluloid, tortoiseshell, and plastic. Recent scientific evidence has validated the need to practice habitual and thorough tongue brushing as part of daily home oral hygiene procedures.