Over 23,000 dentists to pledge support for Colgate-IDA free dental check-ups
Mumbai, September 7, 2010: Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited (“Colgate”), the market leader in oral care, and the Indian Dental Association (IDA), today announced the commencement of Oral Health Month 2010. Launched in 2004, Oral Health Month (OHM)is a mass contact program, initiated by Colgate and supported by the IDA to generate awareness about oral care in the country. Spread over a span of two months – September and October - OHM 2010 is expected to reach out to more than 1,000 Indian towns and cities.
A recent national Consumer Usage and Attitudes Survey (CUAS) conducted across the four geographic zones in India, comprising a total of 11,324 interviews by IMRB and sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited, reveals that there is low level of awareness about basic oral care habits. The study reveals that 67% of Indians have never visited a dentist and around 87% of the Indian population does not believe in visiting dentists unless there is a problem.
The low per capita consumption of toothpaste of 118 gms in India also gives an indication of the low oral care hygiene habits awareness levels.
Announcing the seventh edition of Oral Health Month, Mr. Rajesh Krishnamurthy, VP Marketing, Colgate said, “Oral Health Month is an initiative, we are very proud of at Colgate. What started as a thought has grown into a major annual activity promoting the importance of oral care. In a country where less than 5% visit the dentist regularly, we at Colgate have taken the responsibility towards generating oral care awareness and OHM is an endeavour towards our commitment. The great strides made since OHM’s inception in 2004, as a 6-city program with 70 participating dentists, would have been difficult without the support of the IDA and the dentist fraternity.”
OHM reached out to over 2.4 million people last year educating them about the importance of basic oral care.
The two months long oral care awareness drive covers in-clinic free dental check-ups, school contact programs, free dental check-ups in mobile dental vans, retailers outreach program and many more activities. This year over 30 mobile dental vans will be deployed in more than 20 cities, making basic oral care facility available to the underprivileged.
The very successful Little Dentist School Contact Program, which reaches out to children in primary schools spreading the message of basic oral care hygiene, will be conducted in 1,300 schools. This year, the School Contact Program aims to reach out to 6.5 lakh children.
About the Indian Dental Association
The Indian Dental Association, formed in 1946, is the largest recognized body of dental professionals in India, which has helped shape the National Oral Health Policy. Working towards the promotion, encouragement and advancement of dental and allied sciences the IDA has a national presence with 28 state branches and over 250 local branches spread across India. It has a combined strength of around 50,000 dentists and student members registered with it.
"IDA” all along has been in the forefront of oral health campaign and, towards its goal of attaining optimum oral health in the country, it has established quite a few instruments like SPOT (Spot and Prevent Oral Cancer Trauma) Centres for early detection and treatment of oral cancer and TII (Tobacco Intervention Initiative) Centres for tobacco cessation and counselling under the banner of its Oral Cancer Foundation, Child Dental Centre for caries treatment and Educational and Training Centres for continuing education for professional advancement of dentists. For details of IDA's projects and programmes, visit IDA Website: www.ida.org.in
About Colgate-Palmolive (India)
Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited is India’s leading provider of scientifically proven oral care products with multiple benefits at various price points. The range includes toothpastes, toothpowder and toothbrushes under the “Colgate” brand, as well as a specialized range of dental therapies under the banner of Colgate Oral Pharmaceuticals. These have become an essential part of daily oral hygiene and therapeutic oral care in India. The Company also provides a range of personal care products under the ‘Palmolive’ brand name. Colgate has been ranked as India’s #1 Most Trusted Brand across all categories for four consecutive years from 2003 to 2007 by Brand Equity’s Most Trusted Brand Survey. It is the only brand to be in the top three for the last 10 years from 2001-2010. Prior to this, Colgate was also rated as the #1 brand by the A&M – MODE Annual Survey for India’s Top Brands for eight out of nine years during the period 1992 to 2001. For more information about Colgate’s business and products, visit the Company’s website on the internet at www.colgate.co.in.