By Madhup. Chandigarh, 30th Nov: The No.1 toothbrush brand used by dentists worldwide, in association with leading dentists across India, have announced the launch of the Oral-B ‘Smile India’ Movement. ‘Smile India’ is aimed at increasing awareness and educating the nation on the significance of oral health thus making India’s smile more healthy and confident. The agenda of the movement is to edify the nation on basic oral hygiene by encouraging more and more consumers to pledge to the campaign. According to a nation-wide survey conducted by AC Nielsen, the oral care standards in India are extremely poor and there is an immediate need to educate the nation on the importance of oral regimes. The survey clearly highlights the lack of awareness on oral care issues and problems. For example, 53% of Indians suffer from common tooth problems such as bleeding gums, bad breath, sensitive teeth, receding gums, decayed teeth etc. Only 23% of Indian Mothers are aware that it is important to take their children to the dentist at least once every six months etc…
Speaking on this movement, Oral-B spokesperson Sharat Verma said, “When we conducted a survey with AC Nielsen, we found that a majority of Indians are unaware of the oral care issues. The Smile India movement is aimed at educating the nation on oral care thus improving the oral care standards leading to create an India with healthier, more confident smiles. Dentists across India have joined hands with Oral-B to improve the oral hygiene standards in India and urge their patients and fellow dentists to pledge support to this movement.”
While commenting on her association with Smile India, Bollywood Actress Sonali Bendre said, “Being in an industry that demands perfection, a good oral regime has always been an important part of my personal grooming routine. Oral -B Smile India is a one of a kind initiative to create awareness on oral hygiene, which is a very important part of everyday life to live an over-all healthy life. I am proud of be associated with this awakening movement and recommend everyone to pledge to this movement to make India more healthy and confident.”
Some key highlights for the AC Nielsen survey on Oral Care are:
National Statistics
· 53% of Indians suffer from common tooth problems like Toothache, Bleeding Gums, Bad Breath, Decayed Tooth etc.
· 77% of Indians has not visited a dentist in the last 1 year
· 82% of Indians believe that they need to visit a dentist only in case of occurrence of tooth problems
· 68% of Indians think that the right tooth paste is more important than the right tooth brush
· 65% of Indians believe that taking care of one’s teeth is not as important for grooming, as taking care of hair, skin etc.
· 59% of Indians are likely to immediately rush to a doctor if suffering problem from other health problems but will ignore a tooth ache till it gets unbearable
· Only 46% of Indians regularly brush their teeth at night
· 80% of Indians wish their partner had better oral hygiene
· Only 23% of mothers are aware that it is important to take their children to the dentist at least once every six months
· Only 28% mothers are aware that their children need to brush in the right manner to prevent tooth problems in the future
· 71% silently wished their partner brushed at night for better intimacy
· 79% employers consider oral hygiene as a factor to gauge the personality of a candidate /interviewee
