Signal takes part in World Oral Health Day 2013: Healthy teeth for healthy life

From 2013 the 20th of March will be celebrated globally as World Oral Health Day. This special day is recognized and celebrated by the World Dental Federation, with the aim of raising awareness amongst the public and giving them a reminder on the importance of healthy teeth, gums and mouth in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

The theme for the World Oral Health Day 2013 is ‘Healthy teeth for healthy life’. World Oral Health Day offers the dental and oral health community a platform for action: working together, to prevent the epidemic of caries, gum diseases and tooth loss and help communities to maintain dental health for life.

In many countries, dental decay affects nearly 100% of the adult population and 60-90% of children. According to the National Oral Health Survey; here in Sri Lanka it affects 40- 60% of school children and a vast majority of adults. Dental caries is one of the most prevalent oral diseases in Sri Lanka. When a child in Sri Lanka reaches 12 years on average at least one 1 tooth is decayed.

Signal, the leading toothpaste brand in Sri Lanka, has been instilling good oral hygiene habits among its fellow citizens, giving them the confidence to smile since 1982. Since then Signal has been driving oral health and has been an integral part of Signal’s mission to promote good oral health awareness. For the past three decades Signal has been providing free dental check-ups, sampling of toothpaste and toothbrushes to pre-school and primary schools and conducting large scale community based oral health camps.

Sinã Bõ Wéwa (May smiles grow) is a campaign that was launched in the year 2005 by Signal with the aim of spreading the warmth and beauty of our Sri Lankan smile to the world. The smile of Sri Lankans is the first thing that many people notice, and it has become a distinguished feature of Sri Lanka. Thus the Sinã Bõ Wéwa campaign was successful in carrying across the message of healthy smiles.

Experts recognise that simply brushing teeth twice daily with fluoride toothpaste is the single most beneficial action for improving people’s oral health, reducing the misery, pain, loss of self-confidence and expense that tooth decay can cause. Therefore Signal has always taken steps to promote brushing with a fluoridated tooth paste twice daily as it’s mission in improving Oral Care hygiene in Sri Lanka.

Signal is the first tooth paste which introduced fluoride. Sadly there are many in certain parts of Sri Lanka, specially in the fluoridated belt, who use non fluoride tooth paste which can harm their teeth in the long run. Therefore, Signal looks at specially educating the people in those areas on the benefits of using a fluoride tooth paste.

Furthermore, in driving Oral health Month in 2013, Signal will conduct a project with the Sri Lanka Dental Association in promoting good oral habits.