Canadians admit to poor oral hygiene habits despite citing a healthy-looking
smile as a health priority

New Crest and Oral-B Great Canadian Smile Survey reveals only 4 per cent of Canadians follow proper oral care regimen, citing fatigue and lack of time as rationale.

TORONTO, March 9 /CNW/ - The first-ever Crest and Oral-B Great Canadian Smile Survey, found that 57 per cent of Canadians say their smile is important to them, yet shockingly only 4 per cent follow the dentist-recommended oral care regimen of brushing, flossing and rinsing. The survey revealed that Canadians often cited not having enough time and fatigue as the main reasons. April is National Oral Health Month, and Crest and Oral-B are reminding Canadians that it takes just three simple steps and less than 10 minutes a day to maintain a healthy-looking smile.

"Many of my patients will spend hours in the gym or watching their diet, but when it comes to looking after their teeth and gums, they seem to lose track of how easy it is - it only takes about three minutes twice a day to brush, floss and rinse," says Dr. Maryam Adibfar, consulting dentist to Crest and Oral-B.

Two in three Canadians cite a healthy smile as an important health factor (62 per cent), ranking behind cardiovascular health (81 per cent) and healthy eating (76 per cent) - however, Canadians admit they aren't making time to take proper care of their smiles. By not taking care of their smiles, Canadians put themselves at a greater risk for gingivitis, the earliest form of gum disease.

Research suggests a link between oral health and systemic disease such as diabetes and respiratory diseases. Additional research also suggests a connection between oral health and other serious conditions such as heart disease(1) - which is clearly a priority health factor for Canadians. Knowing that Canadians rank having a healthy smile as more important (62 per cent) than physical fitness and body appearance (57 per cent), dentists agree there's a disconnect with how Canadians approach their oral health.

    
    Additional At-a-Glance Stats from the Crest and Oral-B Great Canadian
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    Smile Survey
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    -   Among those who don't brush their teeth at lease twice a day, 24 per
        cent say they're too tired at night and 16 per cent say they don't
        have time
    -   4 per cent of those who don't brush their teeth twice a day admit
        they don't know how to use a toothbrush
    -   Among those who don't floss daily, 31 per cent say they can't be
        bothered and 25 per cent say they don't have time
    -   31 per cent of Canadians haven't flossed in the past six months
    -   Among those who don't rinse daily, 18 per cent admit they don't have
        time to rinse
    -   Among the 26 per cent of Canadians who don't go to the dentist at
        least once a year, 42 per cent say they don't go because they can't
        afford it, and 29 per cent say it's because they don't have dental
        insurance
    -   82 per cent of Canadians rate their own overall oral health as good,
        while only 62 per cent say the same for Canada as a whole

    Three Simple Steps to a Healthier-Looking Smile
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    Knowing how important a healthy-looking smile is to Canadians, Crest and
Oral-B encourage them to find time in their day to follow a
dentist-recommended three-step oral care routine: brush, floss and rinse. It
takes less than 10 minutes.
    To follow the dentist-recommended oral care routine, Crest and Oral-B
recommends:

    1.  Brush: twice a day for two minutes each time using an all-in-one
        toothpaste and a good toothbrush.

        -  Crest Pro-Health toothpaste helps protect against seven common
           oral health problems dentists check most: cavities, gingivitis,
           plaque, sensitivity, tartar, stains and bad breath.

        -  Oral-B Pulsar Pro-Health is a battery-powered toothbrush featuring
           gentle ProSoft(R) bristles that clean deep and stimulate gums for
           a clean you can feel.

        -  Oral-B Cross-Action Pro-Health manual toothbrushes combine
           CrissCross(R) bristles, soft gum stimulators and a textured tongue
           cleaner to provide multiple benefits for a clean, healthy mouth.

        -  Oral-B Triumph with SmartGuide is a rechargeable power toothbrush
           to combine best-in-class cleaning and gum care with a wireless
           display that provides real time navigation for oral health.

    While more than half (59 per cent) of Canadians know that they should be
brushing for at least two minutes, only 33 per cent say that they do.

    2.  Floss: once a day. It's essential to help remove plaque from in-
        between teeth and under the gumline.

        -  Crest Glide Deep Clean Floss is our premium microtextured shred-
           resistant floss, formulated with a cooling sensation adding a
           blast of minty freshness.

    56 per cent of Canadians who don't floss at least once a day say it's
because they don't have time or can't be bothered; while almost one-third of
Canadians haven't flossed at all in the past six months.

    3.  Rinse: twice a day for 30 seconds each time with an antibacterial
        mouthwash to help eliminate additional plaque-causing germs.

        -  Crest Pro-Health Multi-Protection Rinse is an antibacterial
           mouthwash that kills germs that can cause plaque, gingivitis and
           bad breath - without the burning sensation of alcohol.

    Among those who don't use a mouthwash at least once a day, 18 per cent of
Canadians say they don't have time; while more than one third of Canadians
admit they haven't used mouthwash at all in the past six months.

    Crest and Oral-B are committed to helping Canadians maintain healthy-
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    looking smiles
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The survey also revealed that 26 per cent of Canadians visit the dentist less often than once a year, with 42 per cent of them saying they can't afford it and 29 per cent specifically citing a lack of dental insurance as the reasons they don't go. To help Canadians in need, Crest and Oral-B will donate $50,000 to provincial programs that provide access to basic dental care through its partnership with the Dentistry Canada Fund. These programs include the BC Save A Smile Program, Quebec's Foundation de l'Ordre des dentistes du Québec and The Ottawa Mission Dental Clinic. All of these programs directly benefit Canadians by providing access to basic dental care.

The majority of Canadians (77 per cent) know that regular dental check-ups are an important part of overall health. Through this partnership with the Dentistry Canada Fund, Crest and Oral-B will help more Canadians gain access to professional care and the lifelong benefits of a healthy-looking smile.

As part of its commitment to healthy-looking smiles for life, Crest and Oral-B offer Canadians the Pro-Health guarantee. If consumers use the Pro-Health regimen at least twice a day for four weeks with no visible improvement at their next regularly scheduled dental check-up, they may be eligible to receive a cheque for $45 from Crest and Oral-B. For complete details on this guarantee, visit www.prohealthcanada.com.

Crest and Oral-B products are available across Canada at mass, drug and grocery retailers.

ABOUT PROCTER & GAMBLE

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ABOUT THE SURVEY

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between October 8 and 14, 2009, on behalf of P&G. For this survey, a national sample of 1,651 adult Canadians from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/-2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had the entire population of adults in Canada been polled.

    
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    (1) http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/oral-bucco/disease-maladie/index-eng.php
    

For further information: Sara O'Reilly, MS&L, [phone], [email protected]; Natasha Newell-Vieira, MS&L, [phone], [email protected]; Melissa Karis, P&G Oral Care, [phone], [email protected]