GSK Middle East Road Show educates over 1500 dentists and health care professionals

Dubai, June 12th, 2007, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) launched the SENSODYNE PRONAMEL SYSTEM across the Middle East with a Road Show aimed at educating dentists and health care professionals about the 21st Century dental condition known as acid erosion.  Acid erosion is a growing threat to teeth caused by a combination of factors including the increased acidity in the modern diet and abrasive tooth brushing.

Dr David Alexander, Director Dental Affairs at GSK, gave a series of lectures across the Middle East visiting Kuwait City, Riyadh, Jeddah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai where he spoke to over 1500 dentists, media and health care professionals during his ten day tour.  The events were also attended by leading dental experts in the region and in Dubai, Dr Aisha Sultan, Director of the Emirates Dental Association and Chairperson of Emirates Dental Society, introduced Dr Alexander and officiated at the event.

The PRONAMEL SYSTEM system combines a unique toothpaste, the first to tackle the problem of acid erosion, with a specifically designed toothbrush.  The paste is low in abrasivity and pH neutral to help reduce enamel wear during the process of tooth brushing and the state of the art soft toothbrush is designed to be gentle but effective on teeth. 

Dr Alexander commented: "Almost everybody with natural teeth will develop some signs of acid erosion, which can affect all age groups. The effects, which can visibly affect the tooth's appearance, cannot be reversed, but can be reduced.  Education and protection are therefore the best policy.

"GSK formulated the SENSODYNE PRONAMEL system to help protect the teeth against acid erosion. Using SENSODYNE PRONAMEL system allows people who enjoy a healthy and varied diet to continue doing so while still helping to protect their teeth from the effects of acid erosion.   The toothpaste has a high fluoride uptake to harden the enamel surface, helping it to resist further acid attack, and also contains potassium nitrate to ease sensitivity, which can be a sign of acid erosion as well as providing all the benefits of regular toothpaste - it contains fluoride to fight cavities, freshens breath and cleans teeth."

Michael Mascarenhas, GSK Consumer Healthcare VP and General Manager, GSK said "GSK is a leader in oral heath and for decades we have worked to find the best solutions for dental problems that affect everyone.  The SENSODYNE PRONAMEL system took seven years to research and develop, and we are delighted that so many dental professionals attended our educational seminars to learn about identifying and dealing with acid erosion and the threat it poses to all the families' teeth."

The GSK dentists programme is being supported by a consumer marketing programme to make the public at large aware of this issue, and consumers are being encouraged to visit their dentist with any concerns.

GSK first highlighted the issue of acid erosion at the 2005 FDI World Dental Congress in Montréal, Canada.  Key opinion leaders in the dental industry, including Dr David Bartlett and Professor Martin Addy, addressed delegates on the emerging problem of tooth wear, identifying erosion from dietary acids as a key issue in 21st Century dentistry. 

Acid erosion was also highlighted by GSK's recent report 'Acid Erosion: A growing issue for 21st Century dentistry' which incorporated research and analysis from world-class dental experts including Dr Adrian Lussi to detail the cause and effects of this condition.  

-Ends-

About GSK
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare: A world leader in Oral Care.

Everyday, more than 200 million people around the world use a GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) brand of toothpaste and toothbrush. With a presence in more than 130 countries, GSK consumer healthcare has established itself as one of the world leaders in science-driven oral care products. GSK is present in the Middle East with a complete range of oral care products (toothpaste, toothbrush, mouthwash and denture care products) with brands like:

Sensodyne, which is the world's most recommended toothpaste by dentists for the control of dentinal hypersensitivity (sensitive teeth).

Parodontax, with its unique herbal ingredients, provides an effective treatment to periodontal diseases.

Corega denture cleansers and fixatives improve the quality of life of thousands of denture-wearers around the region.

Corsodyl, treats and prevents chronic gingivitis.

Aquafresh offers a total range of oral care products that have a close affinity to families in the Middle East.

Contact
For more information contact
GolinHarris:
Vicki Morley,
Senior Account Manager
(vmorley@golinharris.com)

Cynthia Darwish, Account Executive
(cdarwish@golinharris.com)
telephone (00 971 4) 332 3308

© Press Release 2007