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Toothsticks City
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American wooden toothpicks are cut from birch wood. Logs are first spiral cut into thin sheets, which are then cut, chopped and milled into the individual toothpicks. Maine is the leading producer of toothpicks for the United States. Worldwide, Brazil has the highest export rate of toothpicks. However, in the recent years, China has overtaken Brazil's toothpick industry bringing in approximately US$24 billion per year from the export of toothpicks.
History
The toothpick is known to predate the arrival of early modern humans. The skulls of Neanderthals, as well as Homo sapiens, have shown clear signs of having teeth that were picked with a tool.
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