Usage Of Toothpaste Research Articles

Studying Some Factors Affecting in Gingivitis Caused by Staphylococcus aureus

This study was performed to isolate and identify the Staphylococcus aureus which is associated with dental caries and periodontal disease in patients aged between (15-70) years old from both gender. All patients have no antibiotic for three days at lees to state the relationship between gender, smoking, miswak, toothpaste, milk and sugar with black tea. The results show that smoking and miswak are the most influence factors under study on Staphylococcus aureus infection in both genders. The percentage of S. aureus was isolated with 71% from males and 29% from females, 77% of them were nonsmoker 10% smoke little and 13% smoke much and 97 % of them were nonmiswak users, 3% use it little. 35% of them were non toothpaste users and 52% use it little while 13% use it much. 55% of them didn’t drink milk at all, 6% drink little and 39% drink it much. 32% of them drink black tea without sugar, 36% use it little and 32% use much sugar. Erythromycin shows biggest inhibition zone with Methicillin resistance S. aureus that also sensitive to Azithroomycin, but it was resistance to Gentamycin, Oxacillin, Tetracycline, and Trimethoprim.

The Impact of Country of Origin on Brand Equity: The Case of Jaffna Customers in Purchasing Toothpaste in Sri Lankan Market

The toothpaste market is a highly competitive platform where various competitors are trying their best to grab the market share. Therefore Brand Equity is something every marketer in the Toothpaste market is trying to enhance. Brand Equity can be affected by many aspects in the industry, in this research it has been measured how the Country of Origin impacts on the Brand Equity. A variety of literature was gathered in order to identify the specific sub components of Brand Equity. As this is a pioneering study on this subject the conceptual framework employed has been specially developed for the purpose of this study, and has been devised based on several empirical studies. The primary data was gathered using a well-structured questionnaire. The sample comprised of 150 respondents from the Jaffna customers. The data analysis was carried out using SPSS 20. The findings concluded that there is a positive association between Country of Origin and Brand Equity of Toothpaste purchasing In Sri Lankan Market. Apart from that it was found out that there was no influence of the Gender for the Country of Origin effects on toothpaste brands. Nevertheless, there was an influence on the Brand Equity by the Gender of the toothpaste users.

Use of antibacterial toothpaste is associated with higher urinary triclosan concentrations in Asian immigrant women living in Vancouver, Canada

BackgroundTriclosan is an antibacterial added to consumer products including toothpastes, cosmetics, and plastic cutting boards. Known to disrupt reproductive and hormonal functioning in animals, epidemiological studies indicate that exposure to triclosan may have similar effects on human health. Methods100 women aged 19 to 45 years born in India or China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan new to the Vancouver (Canada) area were recruited in 2015–2016 by word of mouth, public advertisements, and contacts in health and cultural organizations. Participants completed an interview which queried potential sources of triclosan exposure at home and at work and their urine was tested for triclosan by GC–MS. Determinants of urinary triclosan were assessed by Wilcoxon signed-rank test. ResultsTriclosan was detected in 62% of urine samples, with an overall GM of 14.5 μg/L (95% CI: 9.7–21.7 μg/L; range: <LOD to 1900 μg/L). Colgate Total® toothpaste users had higher urinary triclosan concentrations (median = 34.0 μg/L) than non-users (median = 2.5 μg/L, ρ < 0.001), a result which was unaffected by adjustment for age, income, BMI, and country of birth. South Asian born women had elevated urinary triclosan compared to East Asian born women. ConclusionTriclosan exposure via a specific antibacterial toothpaste brand was identified in reproductive age newcomer women in Canada. Health education around brushing teeth well while using lower toothpaste volumes or choosing triclosan-free toothpaste would reduce triclosan exposure.

Dental health behavior pertaining to fluoridated toothpaste usage among the parents of private and government school students in Mangalore, South India

Background: Promoting oral self-care capacity and the use of fluoride toothpaste is an appropriate strategy for the prevention of oral diseases among schoolchildren, especially in a developing country like India. Aim: To assess the oral health behavior of fluoridated toothpaste usage among parents of 12-year-old schoolchildren in Mangalore, South India. Materials and Methods: Around 523, 12-year-old school students selected by cluster random sampling were given questionnaires to be completed by the parents to elicit their dental health behavior. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16.0. Bivariate analysis of the association of dental health behavior and the type of the school was conducted using Chi-square test. Finally, we fitted a multivariate binary logistic regression model to estimate the strength of association, and P

영유아의 구강위생용품 사용 실태 및 영향 요인

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors affecting the use of oral hygiene products in infants. Methods: From October 2015 to December 2015, astructured questionnaire survey was conducted for infants and parents about the infants' oral hygiene product use from 0 to 4 years of age in Seoul and other metropolitan areas. Results: The use of oral tissues for infants and children was more frequent in infants, with less than four uses of oral tissues per 10 infants. The overall amount of toothpaste usage among infants was lower than those of infants whose parents are high school or college graduates. The number of oral tissues used per infant per week was less among infants who sucked less than 4 times per 10 infants. The frequency of use of infant mouthwash per week in every 10 infants was less than those who swallow mouthwash less than once. The number of mouth rinses after the use of oral tissues for infants was high in boys, and the number of infants who sucked oral tissues was less than 4 times when used 10 times. The number of mouth rinses after the use of toothpaste was less for infants with college-graduate parents. The factors affecting the number of mouth rinsings after using oral tissues for infants were gender and sucking frequency. Conclusions: In this study, the oral hygiene products for infants were found to differ and affect the usage, the frequency of use, and the number of mouth rinses according to the general characteristics of infants' and parents and the use of oral hygiene products.

Factors affecting usage of toothpaste in infants and preschoolers

Factors affecting usage of toothpaste in infants and preschoolers

Association Between Dental Caries and Body Mass Index in Schoolchildren Aged Between 14 and 16 Years in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

BackgroundDental caries and obesity are multifactorial diseases that have common risk factors. Studies worldwide reported varied outcomes about the association between dental caries and obesity. There is no published study that investigates this association among schoolchildren in Arabic countries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between dental caries (DMFT) and body mass index (BMI) for children aged between 14 and 16 years old in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The role of oral hygiene habits, parent’s education, sugar consumption and physical activity in causing both diseases was also evaluated.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study that involved 610 schoolchildren aged between 14 and 16 years. The children were selected from 12 boy’s intermediate schools distributed in Riyadh city. A questionnaire that asked about demographic data, oral hygiene habits, parents’ education, sugar consumption and physical activity was distributed. Then, the mean DMFT and BMI were calculated by collecting the information from dental examination, body weight and height. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to explain the relationship between the teeth health and the BMI. Moreover, multivariate linear regression was conducted to model the relationship between DMFT and BMI and the socioeconomic score, sugar consumption and physical activity.ResultsThe prevalence of dental caries (DMFT > 0) was 54.1%. Around 32% of the schoolchildren were either overweight or obese. A statistically significant association between dental caries (DMFT) and BMI was found (P = 0.008). It was found that obese schoolchildren are 1.79 times higher to be with healthy teeth (P = 0.02). In addition, it was found that schoolchildren with higher socioeconomic status are 1.26 times higher to be with healthy teeth group (P = 0.005). Similarly, schoolchildren who reported that they are using the fluoridated toothpaste were 1.63 times higher to be within the healthy teeth group (DMFT = 0) when everything else is controlled. Physical activity level affects the schoolchildren BMI significantly (P < 0.001).ConclusionsThe study showed a statistically significant association between dental caries and BMI for this study sample. Obese schoolchildren showed healthier teeth than others did. Fluoride toothpaste usage and socioeconomic score were associated significantly with dental caries.

Factors Affecting Tooth Retention among Adult Population of Dharwad District, India.

Oral health in relation to general health is influen-ced by the retention of teeth. Understanding factors affecting tooth retention will help health and social policy-makers to translate the knowledge on tooth retention into action programs for improving oral health of the people and hence enhance tooth retention. The aim of the present study was to determine the factors affecting tooth retention among adult population of Dharwad district, India. A cross-sectional survey of 1100 subjects (616 urban and 484 rural) residing in Dharwad district, Karnataka, India, was conducted. Self-designed questionnaire was prepared and data were collected on socio-demographic factors, oral hygiene practices, diet practices, adverse oral habits and frequency of dental visits by the interview method and clinical examination. Statistical analysis was carried out by applying one way analysis of variance (ANOVA), unpaired t-test and backward stepwise multiple regression. Karl Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to test the correlation between the two quantitative variables. A total of 66.72% subjects retained all 28 teeth and mean number of teeth retained by the study subjects were 25.33 (90.46%). There was gradual reduction in tooth retention with increase in age. Males (95.8%) compared to females (94.07%), unmarried (98.8%) than married subjects (93.3%) and subjects with intermediate or post high school diploma (97.5%) than those who were illiterate (89.5%) and other low educational level study subjects retained more teeth. Further mean values of tooth retention for other socio demographic factors i.e., occupation, income and family size were not statistically significant (p≤0.05). In addition, subjects using tooth brush (96.6%) and tooth paste (96.6%) for cleaning the teeth, subjects practicing mixed diet (96.6%) and subjects who never visited the dentist (96.5%) in their lifetime showed statistically significant greater tooth retention than study subjects who visited the dentist infrequently (92.7%) (p≤0.05) (p=significance level). Males compared to females, lower age, profess-ionals compared to illiterates, unmarried and mixed diet population, tooth brush and tooth paste users and population who never visited dentist showed more tooth retention.

Effect of Triclosan Toothpaste on Gingivitis and Plaque Accumulation in Children Wearing Fixed Orthodontic Appliances: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract: Introduction: The greatest preventive challenge in dentistry is the control of dental biofilm and consequently avoiding dental caries and gingival inflammation. As an adjunct to the mechanical oral hygiene measures, chemical antimicrobial agents seem to offer great benefits in the control of plaque formation and gingivitis, especially in high risk patients wearing orthodontic appliances. Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of Triclosan (0.3%) Colgate Total® on gingivitis and plaque formation in patients wearing fixed orthodontic appliances. Materials and methods: Fifty children wearing fixed orthodontic appliances with an age range of 9 to 13 years were randomly assigned into 2 groups (test and control). The test group received the Colgate Total® toothpaste containing 0.32% sodium fluoride and 0.3% Triclosan. The control group received maxfresh® toothpaste containing 0.22% sodium fluoride. All patients were examined clinically to assess their gingival condition using the Plaque index (PI), Gingival Index (GI), Sulcular Bleeding Index (SBI) at follow up periods of 1, 2 and 3 months. Each group shifted to use the alternative agent after a washout period of 10 days to prevent the carryover effect of Triclosan. Results: Showed that the Triclosan toothpaste users experienced significant reduction in plaque accumulation and gingivitis compared to the fluoride toothpaste users in the first and second follow up periods. The results also showed significant difference compared to the baseline. Conclusion: Triclosan toothpaste proved to have marked antiplaque and antigingivitis effects. Triclosan toothpaste proved to counteract the aggravated gingival effects that can be introduced by the fixed orthodontic appliances in children at the age of puberty. Keywords: Triclosan, toothpaste, plaque, gingivitis, children, orthodontic appliances

Promoting Oral Health in Rural India: The Case of Pepsodent—An Analysis

The case presents an invigorating snapshot of rural market in India, taking into consideration toothpaste as the context and Pepsodent as the protagonist. Rural markets of India are often considered as the last of the uncharted territory, the unclaimed land of riches and the virgin markets awaiting the arrival of prince charming. At the same time, the rural markets are not for the faint hearted. Marketers who have made the mistake of dabbling in the rural markets without enough homework have learnt of the consequences to their own peril. Nevertheless, to every marketer, the rural markets remain the last frontier of the application of marketing tenets. Hindustan Unilever Limited’s (HUL’s) unveiling of Pepsodent to the rural market presents a great testimony to this epic battle to win over the rural consumer. The case chronicles the efforts of HUL’s Pepsodent to enhance its market share by capturing the rural markets. The necessity to look towards rural markets also stems from the fact that the market leader and prime competitor, Colgate, is leaving no stone unturned to entice rural consumers. The attractiveness of the rural market to fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) players of all hues has been aptly communicated by the author using data from surveys done by Euromonitor, MART, etc. With support from top management, Pepsodent adopts the 4A’s model—Affordability, Awareness, Availability and Acceptability—to capture a share of rural consumers’ wallet. The entire campaign piggybacks on ‘free dental check-ups and health camps’ to create a win–win situation for the target market. Clever manipulations in the marketing mix components to suit the requirements of rural consumers enables Pepsodent to present itself as a viable alternative to not just traditional oral care practices but also to its old rivals, Colgate and Dabur. The case sets the backdrop very effectively by outlining the key data pointing towards a mouthful of opportunities, literally, for Pepsodent to explore. Negligible per capita consumption and abysmal headcount of rural toothpaste users set the stage for diffusion of Pepsodent in the rural market. Rising income levels, access to education, greater awareness of personal hygiene and increasing media reach are bridging the aspirational divide between urban and rural consumers. At the same time, rural consumer still prefers products at lower price points, from a trustworthy source, available within reach and the one that is acceptable to the society. The author has effectively used Pepsodent as the protagonist in the **wild-wild west of Indian market, namely, rural India to convey lessons in effective rural marketing against gargantuan adversity. The case brings to the fore adversity in terms of three aspects—culture, consumer and competition. Global Business Review 16(3) 537–539 © 2015 IMI SAGE Publications sagepub.in/home.nav DOI: 10.1177/0972150915569942 http://gbr.sagepub.com

Investigating the Relationship between Brand Attributes and Brand Loyalty Among Tooth Paste Users in Greater Accra Region of Ghana

The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between brand attributes and brand loyalty among tooth paste users in Greater Accra region of Ghana. The main objective is to examine the relationship between brand attributes on brand loyalty. Four hundred and twentyone (421) copies of questionnaires were retrieved through convenient sampling method. With the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) the following statistics were employed: Descriptive statistics, Cranach’s alpha, Kurtosis and Skewness and Regression analysis wereused to measure the relationship of independent variables (packaging, price, and brand awareness) on dependent variable (brand loyalty).The findings revealed that all three attributes of brand; packaging, price and brand awareness had a significant and positive relationship withbrand loyalty. The research suggests that tooth-paste producers in Ghana should adopt green packaging marketing strategy to outwit multinational competitors.

Extrinsic stain removal with a toothpowder: A randomized controlled trial.

The efficacy of a commercially available toothpowder was compared with toothpaste in removing extrinsic dental stains. In this single-blind, randomized controlled trial, 77 volunteers were included from a residential professional college. All study subjects (control toothpaste users and test toothpowder users) plaque control measures. All study subjects were instructed to rinse with 5 ml 0.12% chlorhexidine mouthwash for 1 minute, twice and one cup of double tea bag solution three times daily for three weeks. Subjects were randomized into test (n=36) and control (n=36) groups. Toothpaste (control) and toothpowder (test) was used for two weeks to see the effects on removing stains on the labial surfaces of 12 anterior teeth. For measuring dental extrinsic stains Lobene Stain Index (SI) was used. The amount of stain following the use of toothpaste and toothpowder was more controlled with the experimental toothpowder. For all sites combined, there was evidence that the experimental toothpowder was significantly superior to toothpaste in reducing stain area (p<.001), stain intensity (p<.001) and composite/product (area × intensity) (p<.001). Stain removing efficacy of toothpowder was significantly higher as compared with toothpaste. A toothpowder may be expected to be of benefit in controlling and removing extrinsic dental staining.

Dental health behavior of parents of children using non-fluoride toothpaste: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundOne of the dental health goals of Health Japan 21, in which the Japanese government clarified its health policy, was to ensure the use of fluoride toothpaste in 90% or more of schoolchildren. This goal was not achieved. The aim of this cross-sectional questionnaire study was to evaluate the characteristics of parents whose children use non-fluoride toothpaste.MethodsIn December 2010, questionnaire forms were sent to 18 elementary schools or school dentists. Students (6-12 years old) were asked to take the forms home for their parents to fill in, and to bring the completed questionnaire to school. The collected questionnaires were mailed from schools to the author’s institution by the end of March 2011. The relationship between fluoride in toothpaste and reasons for choice of toothpaste, the child’s toothbrushing habits, and attitude toward child caries prevention was examined in the 6,069 respondents who answered all the questions for the analyses and indicated that their children use toothpaste.ResultsNon-fluoride toothpaste users accounted for 5.1% of all toothpaste users. Among the children using non-fluoride toothpaste, significantly greater numbers gave ‘anti-gingivitis’, ‘halitosis prevention’ or ‘tartar control’ as reasons for choice of toothpaste; did not give ‘has fluoride’, ‘is cheaper’ or ‘tastes good’ as reasons for choice of toothpaste; or used toothpaste sometimes, or were in 4th - 6th grades. There was no significant relationship between use of non-fluoride toothpaste and measures taken for caries prevention in children. Multilevel (first level: individual, second level: school) logistic regression analysis indicated that use of non-fluoride toothpaste was significantly related to: giving ‘anti-gingivitis’ (odds ratio: 1.44) as a reason for choice of toothpaste; not giving ‘has fluoride’ (0.40), ‘tastes good’ (0.49) or ‘is cheaper’ (0.50) as the reason for choice of toothpaste; to toothbrushing less often (twice a day: 1.34, once a day or less: 1.46) and to using toothpaste less often (sometimes: 1.39).ConclusionsIt is necessary to teach parents that dental caries is the dental health issue with the highest priority for children, and therefore fluoride toothpaste should be used.

Effectiveness of Herbal and Non-Herbal Toothpastes in Reducing Dental Plaque Accumulation

Maintaining good oral hygiene in orthodontic patients is important and as the community interest in herbal ingredients increases, herbal toothpaste was developed. Its effectiveness against dental plaque accumulation is still under debate. Herbal toothpaste has not been tested in fixed orthodontic patients. Objective: To study the effectivenes differences between herbal toothpaste and non-herbal toothpaste. Methods: This randomized, double blind clinical trial was participated by 16 subjects aged range 15-35 years who were planned for fixed orthodontic. The subjects were divided into two groups based on the type of toothpaste used. Plaque accumulations were measured according to Loe and Sillness plaque index on Ramfjord teeth before and two weeks after bonding. Results: Wilcoxon test result showed there was no significant reduction of plaque index on herbal toothpaste usage nor significant increase on non-herbal toothpaste usage. Mann-Whitney test showed no significant differences between herbal and non-herbal toothpaste. Conclusion: There was no significant differences in plaque acummulation between usage of herbal toothpaste nor usage of non-herbal toothpaste. There was no significant effectiveness differences between those toothpastes in fixed orthodontic patients, although herbal toothpaste usage showed a reduction of plaque index, whereas non-herbal toothpaste usage showed an increase of plaque index. DOI: 10.14693/jdi.v19i3.143

Influences on Brand Selection Decisions of Staple Goods: A Study on Toothpaste Users of Khulna City

In present society and living way, the Brands not only represent the symbol of the company or product but to a larger extent define the general life of a person. What the person uses can reflect his taste of life, his status in the society, his economic background and many other things. This makes a deep connection between the company and its brand, with the consumer. In today’s time customers are very deeply connected to the brands. When they purchase any product like a car, mobile, items of daily need, brand name influence the consumer’s choice. Some customers purchase the specific branded things just due to the brand name. Customers believe that brand name is a symbol of quality. Toothpaste is one of the consumer goods that we purchase on a regular basis. This paper has explored the factors that affect the brand selection of toothpaste in the Khulna region. A pilot survey has been conducted to find out the factors regarding the brand selection decision of toothpaste. Then a structured questionnaire has been developed measuring 20 variables. The relative importance of the variables was evaluated by the survey outcomes. Results show that several factors are influential for the toothpaste brand selection e.g. quality, advantages of using product, duration of freshness, Smell, perceived performance, brand awareness, product Attribute etc. The study also reveals the problems and identified probable solutions to overcome these problems.

Efficiency of traditional chewing stick (miswak) as an oral hygiene aid among Muslim school children in Lucknow: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundOral hygiene practices vary from country to country and from culture to culture. ‘Miswak’ as an oral hygiene aid is a pre-Islamic custom contributed to ritual purity. The beneficial effects of miswak in respect to oral hygiene and dental health are attributed to its mechanical and pharmacological actions. AimThe aim of the present study was to assess and compare the oral hygiene status and gingival conditions in Muslim school children of Lucknow city. Materials & methodStudy population comprised of 297 individuals in age group of 12–15 years from residential and non-residential Islamic institutions in Lucknow city. Oral hygiene status was assessed using the Gingival Index (1963), Oral Hygiene Index-Simplified (1964) and Plaque Index (1964). ResultsStatistically significant difference of mean gingival index score was observed among miswak and toothbrush & toothpaste users. Miswak users had lower mean gingival index score. Mean plaque score was lowest among combined users of toothbrush and miswak. ConclusionMiswak users exhibited a better mean gingival score as compared to toothbrush & toothpaste users, while the mean plaque score was lowest among the combined users of toothbrush and miswak.

Salivary levels of Bifidobacteria in caries‐free and caries‐active children

Salivary levels of Bifidobacteria have been shown to be significantly correlated with caries experience in adults but not as yet in children. Salivary levels of Bifidobacteria are positively associated with caries experience in children. To compare the salivary concentrations of Bifidobacteria of caries-free and caries-active children. Saliva was collected using the tongue-loop method from 38 caries-active children and from 22 clinically caries-free children, and the numbers of Bifidobacteria, mutans streptococci, lactobacilli and yeasts were determined. Additionally, the age and gender of the children, a plaque index, sugar amount in diet, sugar frequency in diet, hygiene practice and fluoride toothpaste usage were recorded. Bifidobacteria were isolated from 95% of the caries-active children and from only 9% of the caries-free children (P < 0.001). Salivary levels of Bifidobacteria were significantly correlated with amount of sugar in the diet, frequency of sugar consumption and oral hygiene practice. The significant variables that discriminated between the caries-free and caries-active subjects were salivary levels of Bifidobacteria, salivary levels of mutans streptococci and oral hygiene practice (χ(2) = 72.57, P < 0.001) and overall 90.0% of cases were correctly classified. Salivary levels of Bifidobacteria are significantly associated with caries experience in children. The salivary levels of this genus may be a useful marker of caries risk.

The effects of the tuft design and toothpaste on the residual microbial contamination of toothbrushes

The effects of the tuft design and toothpaste on the residual microbial contamination of toothbrushes

ANAK SEBAGAI FUTURE MARKET: STUDl AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MEMORY

Kids as future market are one of the potential markets. Besides, many factors may influence in the process to be the future market, such as, children’s internal and external environments. This study used one of the psychological concepts, autobiographical memory that focuses on the unforgettable memory in children in their late period (12-14 years). The aims of the study are to describe the use of autobiographical memory in children’s late period and contribute to the understanding of brand loyalty and brand switching, especially in toothpaste product. The research questions are (1) the condition of toothpaste usage in children’s late period; (2) the brands commonly used by the children’s late period; (3) the children’s late period autobiographical memory when they use those brands (4) the willingness to keep on using those brands; and (5) the tendencies to switch brands. Purposive sampling method is used. The sample size is 218 children age 12-14 years old in 2 private and state junior high school. The study used descriptive statistic analysis. The analysis shows that the autobiographical memory is one of the factors to make the children loyal to the brand. However, they also could switch the brand. In their early age, children age 12-14 years old do not have the freedom to purchase products, because their reference groups still have influence in their life. The study shows 71.1% of the sample commonly use Pepsodent, 15% Close Up, Ciptadent, Enzim and Antiplaque are in the third, fourth and fifth place. The product feature, product image, and product accessibility have impacts on the autobiographical memory due to the consumption of the toothpaste. Pepsodent is the most unforgettable toothpaste brand (70.64%), followed by Close Up (31.1%), Ciptadent (21.1%), and Formula (19.27%). The children’s late period are in grey area between loyal to the brand and switch to another brand.The results show several important concepts that are further used to formulate propositions and a model.

Global affordability of fluoride toothpaste.

ObjectiveDental caries remains the most common disease worldwide and the use of fluoride toothpaste is a most effective preventive public health measure to prevent it. Changes in diets following globalization contribute to the development of dental caries in emerging economies. The aim of this paper is to compare the cost and relative affordability of fluoride toothpaste in high-, middle- and low-income countries. The hypothesis is that fluoride toothpaste is not equally affordable in high-, middle- and low-income countries.MethodsData on consumer prices of fluoride toothpastes were obtained from a self-completion questionnaire from 48 countries. The cost of fluoride toothpaste in high-, middle- and low-income countries was compared and related to annual household expenditure as well as to days of work needed to purchase the average annual usage of toothpaste per head.ResultsThe general trend seems to be that the proportion of household expenditure required to purchase the annual dosage of toothpaste increases as the country's per capita household expenditure decreases. While in the UK for the poorest 30% of the population only 0.037 days of household expenditure is needed to purchase the annual average dosage (182.5 g) of the lowest cost toothpaste, 10.75 days are needed in Kenya. The proportion of annual household expenditure ranged from 0.02% in the UK to 4% in Zambia to buy the annual average amount of lowest cost toothpaste per head.ConclusionSignificant inequalities in the affordability of this essential preventive care product indicate the necessity for action to make it more affordable. Various measures to improve affordability based on experiences from essential pharmaceuticals are proposed.