Oral-B announces partnership with iADH

Dental Tribune International

Wed. 24. August 2022

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PARIS, France: Oral-B, the leading innovator in oral health, has recently announced a partnership with the International Association for Disability and Oral Health (iADH). The move is part of the brand’s drive to make oral care more inclusive and accessible and to create a positive experience for people living with disabilities.

Approximately 166 million people in Europe are affected by a disability in some way, and recent research reveals that a third of those experience periodontal issues owing to struggles with maintaining oral health. Oral-B is on a mission to ensure that everybody has an equitable oral care experience, whether at the dentist or while maintaining oral health at home, and to provide easily accessible and personalised tips and tricks.

Commenting on the partnership, Benjamin Binot, senior vice president of oral care for Europe at Procter & Gamble, said: “As the leading innovator in oral health for over 70 years and the top dentist-recommended brand, we recognise the importance of making oral care accessible to all and continuously listen to the experiences of people having disabilities in order to understand how we can help them.”

He continued: “Through this work, we have learned that oral healthcare struggles among this audience are most common because many haven’t been taught how to brush their teeth properly and they experience dental anxiety and a lack of motivation. As a brand, we recognise our responsibility to help ensure that oral care is accessible to all, and we are proud to partner with the iADH to improve the experience for people living with disabilities.”

As the first step, Oral-B and iADH will co-create a training programme called Positive Practices, which is designed to train and educate dental practices about how to become more confident and inclusive when it comes to their patients.

“By working together, we aim to make a positive difference to the oral care experience for people living with both visible and non-visible disabilities”
— Dr Alison Dougall, iADH president

“We are delighted to be working alongside Oral-B to address, through innovation, education, research and advocacy, the significant oral health inequalities experienced by people having disabilities in Europe. By working together, we aim to make a positive difference to the oral care experience for people living with both visible and non-visible disabilities,” said Dr Alison Dougall, iADH president.

“IADH exists to improve desired oral health outcomes for people having disabilities, and Oral-B exists to create the best oral care outcomes by providing the most rewarding and enjoyable oral care experiences for everyone, every day. Given our shared values, it felt like a very natural fit when Oral-B approached us to come together in partnership,” she continued.

Oral-B will be present at this year’s biennial iADH 2022 congress in Paris to learn from global members who will be sharing their knowledge and experience of improving oral health outcomes for living with disabilities. The findings gathered from the congress will help to inform Positive Practices and ensure that the training programme is underpinned by insight into delivering the best outcomes for change.

Editorial note: More information about the congress can be found here.