Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures®
Reaching more than half a billion children around the world with oral health education.
At Colgate, we understand that oral health plays a significant role in people's overall health. Thus we recognize the importance of a healthy smile and following continued good oral health care practices. Importantly, developing good habits at an early age helps children get a good start towards a lifetime of oral health.
As India’s leader in oral care, Colgate is committed to improving children’s oral health and considers it as the Company’s responsibility to bring healthy, bright smiles to the children of India through oral health education.
One of the most impactful oral health initiatives by Colgate is Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® - which demonstrates Colgate’s commitment to educating children about oral healthcare. A flagship initiative by the Company, it was created with an aim to spread awareness among children about the correct oral health habits, basic hygiene and diet, through use of engaging aids to ensure that the children retain their learning about oral care.
The objective is to empower children to practice good oral care hygiene, by making them aware of good oral care practices, to reduce prevalence of dental caries and to promote preventive health care habits.
Since the inception of the program in 1976, the Company has been delivering oral health education to children, in partnership with the Indian Dental Association (IDA) through their network of committed dental professionals, by reaching out to influencers – like school teachers and the Anganwadi workers in the community to promote preventive oral care education.
Children between the age group of 6 to 14 years, studying in primary schools, are taught good oral hygiene habits, the right techniques of brushing with the use of a tooth model and a toothbrush, the importance of night brushing through an interactive module where the importance of a good mouth cleaning regimen is strongly instilled in them. At the end of the program, each child is given a ‘Dental Health Pack’ consisting of a toothpaste and a basic toothbrush, along with attractive charts depicting valuable oral care information in order to encourage these children to brush twice a day and take care of their oral care hygiene. A chart containing the oral care information is left in each classroom as a reminder to them, and for the teachers to reiterate the oral care message. School teachers are trained and provided with a ‘Teacher’s Guide’ to help them instill good oral care habits on an on-going basis. The Teacher’s Guide is a detailed booklet that pictorially shares details of a tooth’s anatomy, stages of decay, and the causes of gum diseases to help them advocate the importance of healthy teeth.
Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® has so far touched the lives of 162 million plus school children between the age of 6 – 14 years across schools in urban and rural India since the inception of the program.
In the year 2018-19 alone, Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® reached 11.5 million children across the country.
