Half of Britain’s parents do not take their children to the dentist regularly, reports Mintel
While oral care remains an important issue, new research from Mintel reveals some worrying gaps in oral hygiene care trends among British parents. Indeed, Mintel’s research finds just half (53%) of Britain’s parents (with children aged 0-12 years) claim to take their children to visit the dentist regularly and only 57% always ensure their children have brushed their teeth properly.
Today, around one in five (17%) parents agree that using mouthwash is necessary for childrenaged six and over and one in ten (12%) parents agree that flossing is necessary for children aged six and over. And when it comes to babies, just a quarter (25%) of parents believe it is important to take a baby to the dentist as soon as they develop their first baby tooth. Furthermore, a worrying one in ten (7%) parents believe baby teeth do not need too much attention as they fall out anyway and around one in five (18%) parents admit they are not confident enough to protect their children’s oral health.
Roshida Khanom, Senior Personal Care Analyst at Mintel, said: “With almost half of parents not taking their children to visit the dentist regularly, our research reveals a distinct lack of awareness on what their children’s oral care regime should look like. What is more, only a quarter of parents agree that it is important to visit the dentist as soon as babies develop their first tooth, despite NHS recommendations to take children to the dentist from as young an age as possible – and at least once by the time they are two. It’s likely that parents think of oral care to be limited to toothbrush and toothpaste when it comes to their children, and so don’t feel the need to take their child to the dentist regularly or see the need for products beyond basics such as toothpaste, despite the increase in products designed for this age group.”
Overall, 2013 was a landmark year for the oral care sector, as sales of mouthwash, toothbrushes and toothpaste, dental accessories and denture products hit the £1 billion mark. Indeed, sales of oral care products have seen strong growth in the last two years, growing 4% annually in both 2012 and 2013. What is more, the market is forecast to grow by as much as 22% in the next five years to reach an impressive £1.23 billion by 2018.
Within the sector, mouthwash has seen the greatest growth, sales rising a refreshing 6% between 2012 and 2013 to reach £197 million – accounting for 19% of category sales. The rise in value has been driven by price rises, with the price per unit of mouthwash rising by as much as 9% in 2013. Meanwhile, toothbrushes and toothpaste (£713 million) make up 70% of sector sales and dental accessories and dental products make up the remaining 10% of sales at a value of £103 million in 2013.
For more info visit www.mintel.com
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