The history and global market of oral home-care products.

This literature review reports the history and the current market of oral home-care products. It provides information extending from the products used by our ancestors to those currently available, as well as on the changes in the supply and consumption of these products. Although the scientific knowledge about oral diseases has improved greatly in recent years, our ancestors had already been concerned with cleaning their teeth. A variety of rudimentary products and devices were used since before recorded history, like chewing sticks, tree twigs, bird feathers, animal bones, tooth powder and home-made mouth rinses. Today, due to technological improvements of the cosmetic industry and market competition, home-use oral care products available in the marketplace offer a great variety of options. An increase in the consumption of oral care products has been observed in the last decades. Estimates show that Latin America observed a 12% increase in hygiene and beauty products sales between 2002 and 2003, whereas the observed global rate was approximately 2%. A significant increase in the per capita consumption of toothpaste, toothbrush, mouthrinse and dental floss has been estimated from 1992 to 2002, respectively at rates of 38.3%, 138.3%, 618.8% and 177.2%. Pertaining to this increased supply and consumption of oral care products, some related questions remain unanswered, like the occurrence of changes in disease behavior due to the use of new compounds, their actual efficacy and correct indications, and the extent of the benefits to oral health derived from consuming more products.

The history and global market of oral home-care products: [review]

This literature review reports the history and the current market of oral home-care products. It provides information extending from the products used by our ancestors to those currently available, as well as on the changes in the supply and consumption of these products. Although the scientific knowledge about oral diseases has improved greatly in recent years, our ancestors had already been concerned with cleaning their teeth. A variety of rudimentary products and devices were used since before recorded history, like chewing sticks, tree twigs, bird feathers, animal bones, tooth powder and home-made mouth rinses. Today, due to technological improvements of the cosmetic industry and market competition, home-use oral care products available in the marketplace offer a great variety of options. An increase in the consumption of oral care products has been observed in the last decades. Estimates show that Latin America observed a 12 percent increase in hygiene and beauty products sales between 2002 and 2003, whereas the observed global rate was approximately 2 percent. A significant increase in the per capita consumption of toothpaste, toothbrush, mouthrinse and dental floss has been estimated from 1992 to 2002, respectively at rates of 38.3 percent, 138.3 percent, 618.8 percent and 177.2 percent. Pertaining to this increased supply and consumption of oral care products, some related questions remain unanswered, like the occurrence of changes in disease behavior due to the use of new compounds, their actual efficacy and correct indications, and the extent of the benefits to oral health derived from consuming more products.

Disponibilidade e custo de produtos para higiene bucal comercializados em um município paranense / Availability and cost of oral hygiene products commercialized in a city of Paraná State, Brazil

O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar a disponibilidade e o custo de produtos para higiene bucal, dentre eles, dentifrícios, escovas e fios/fitas dentais, em uma amostra de supermercados localizados no município de Cascavel, PR. Foram visitados doze grandes supermercados, pertencentes a diferentes redes, localizados em vários bairros da cidade, no período de 2004 a 2006. Os dados relativos à disponibilidade de diferentes marcas, tipos e preços de cada produto foram anotados em ficha clínica específica. Os dados foram analisados por meio de estatística descritiva. A disponibilidade média de escovas de dente, dentifrícios e fio/fita dental nas lojas do centro e outros bairros foi de 20/22, 39/37 e 45/34, em 2004, de 41/44, 50/47 e 48/47, em 2005, e de 7/7, 12/11 e 11/9, em 2006. É importante que os profissionais da área odontológica avaliem esses aspectos quando recomendarem a aquisição desses produtos para indivíduos com diferentes níveis socioeconômicos, a fim de promover a universalização de práticas preventivas em saúde bucal.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the availability and cost of products for oral hygiene, such as tooth pastes, dental brushes and dental floss in a sample of supermarkets located in different localities at the city of Cascavel, PR. Twelve great supermarkets were visited in the period between 2004 and 2006, belonging to different districts located in several areas of the city. The data of different marks and types of the products searched in each establishment and the price of each product was registered in a specific record developed by the researcher. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. The average availability of dental brushes, toothpastes and dental floss in establishments of downtown/districts was 20/22, 39/37 and 45/34, in 2004, 41/44, 50/47 and 48/47, in 2005, and 7/7, 12/11 and 11/9, in 2006. It was verified a great variability in costs and availability of the products, which also varied in function of location of the supermarket and year of evaluation. It is important that dental professionals evaluate those aspects when recommending the acquisition of those products to patient with different socioeconomics in order to promote the universality of preventive practices in oral health.