Precious de Leon examines the condition of the Gulf's oral care sector.
Most people do it for freshness while others do it for cleanliness. Actually, it goes far beyond that.
"What people don't realize is that brushing their teeth is not just for cleaning away food particles, they're actually removing bacteria," says Ihab El Labban, manager, P&G Professional Oral Health, Middle East and Pakistan.
"You clean away the bacteria that grow not only on food particles but on juices and on any sugary substances. If that bacteria stays, it could get transferred from mother to child, for instance, and people don't think about that."
Emphasising the need for education and awareness throughout the Gulf, El Labban says that most people brush for freshness and cleanliness without the understanding that brushing teeth properly can prevent cavities, gum disease and other afflictions like stroke, diabetes and heart disease.
"We cannot say that everyone who has gum disease will have heart disease, but if you have gum disease and heart disease, it could trigger a heart attack. So it's really not that simple. Cavities can lead to a lot of things," he adds.
Lips don't lie...
It may sound like lip service but El Labban has a number of research papers to back him up.
A Harvard-based study published in the journal of the National Cancer Institute in January this year, for instance, suggests mouth bacteria and the body's attempt to fight them may produce carcinogenic chemicals, which trigger disease.
Although some experts say poor dental hygiene is unlikely to increase the risk of cancer, a total of 216 cases of pancreatic cancer were confirmed in the study group, and of these, 67 (31%) had written that they had periodontal disease.
Men with periodontal disease in particular had, it was found, a 63% higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer compared to those reporting no periodontal disease.
"Most convincing was our finding that even the non-smokers [with gum disease] had a two-fold increase in risk of pancreatic cancer," said Dominique Michaud, assistant professor of epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health.
UK experts, however, point out that the study did not provide clear proof that gum problems were causing dangerous diseases. Gum disease, after all, could just be a sign that an individual is more susceptible to serious illness.
Over in the Gulf, this issue is a growing concern as diabetes and heart disease become more prevalent, says El Labban. The UAE, in fact, has been rated as having the second highest number of diabetics in the world.
Filling a gap
In Saudi Arabia, mandatory dental check-ups have been put in place recently. Children must have their first dental check at 18 months old, with a second check at the age of six years.
"We hope that through this we will gain knowledge of how to protect our teeth against cavities and to promote hygienic practices for maintaining oral health," said Dr Adnan Mofti, director general of the Security Forces Hospital.
According to a statement released by the hospital, 98% of Saudi Arabian families neglect their children's dental hygiene, which leads to a high incidence of tooth cavities.
The hospital also identified an overemphasis by clinics on pricey orthodontic treatment and too little focus on primary dental care. Meanwhile, companies are working with Ministries of Health to spread awareness and education about the benefits of brushing teeth regularly across the region.
P&G, for instance, has worked on a project basis with the health ministry in Oman, where they assisted in the printing of educational material. A similar project was carried out in Kuwait.
The company also has a long-running relationship with the Saudi Ministry of Health, which started four years ago. In the school year 2006-2007, the programme involved close to 250,000 children throughout the Kingdom.
The target age for the initiative is from five to seven years old because "this is the age when habits start forming and they are starting to brush on their own," explains El Labban. "This is also the time of change from milk teeth to permanent teeth."
Another misconception about teeth is during this particular transition. "Many people have the wrong idea that milk teeth will fall out and it doesn't matter if they're decayed or not. But the truth is, it carries bacteria and the bad tooth infects the good tooth growing after it," he says.
In the UAE, Oral-B and Crest recently struck a deal with the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) to educate the population on preventive oral care practices and on the importance of oral hygiene.
DHA's primary healthcare centres receive more than 100,000 dental visits from children and adults each year. An oral hygiene programme will be put together for patients during these visits. Oral-B and Crest will supply the education materials.
Looking ahead, the agreement will see school-based oral health education programmes and a variety of community projects and public events.
Increasing focus on oral care may be brought on by the upcoming 2007 FDI Annual World Dental Congress, which will be held in October. Among its numerous sponsors are Unilever's Signal and P&G's Oral B, which will hold a satellite symposium with the UAE Ministry of Health and international speakers.
This is the first time the event is going to be held in the Middle East.
The arrival of the FDI summit signals the slow but growing attention on the Gulf's oral condition. Governments and companies are banding together to go beyond freshness and hygiene as incentives for brushing. Health benefits have come into play.
So keep on brushing if not for that long-lasting fresh breath then do it for a long-lasting healthy life.
© Gulf Marketing Review 2007
