Purchasing and use of non-fluoride and children’s toothpaste in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Background and objectives:

Regular tooth brushing with fluoride toothpaste is associated with a lower risk for dental caries while brushing with non-fluoride toothpaste is not. In recent years a number of non-fluoride toothpaste brands have entered the oral healthcare market in Aotearoa | New Zealand (NZ). Given the current caries epidemic, this study aims to document sales of non-fluoride toothpaste and the oral health marketing claims made on the packaging.

Methods:

Data were gathered from two sources: (1) IRI MarketEdge data definitions prepared by Colgate provided dollar sales in NZD, unit sales, dollar market share and average unit cost of both non-fluoride toothpaste and children’s toothpaste for toothpaste products sold in NZ supermarkets from 2012 to 2021; and (2) non-fluoride toothpaste products sold in NZ stores and online were purchased and the oral health claims on the packaging/websites were documented.

Results:

In general, sales of non-fluoride toothpaste rose over the years from 2012 to 2021. Non-fluoride toothpaste is easily purchased from a variety of retailers and online. The packaging on many of these products contains health claims that may confuse consumers. Some non-fluoride toothpaste packaging does not state the non-fluoride status.

Conclusions:

This study shows that overall, during the study period, sales volumes of non-fluoride toothpaste have increased in NZ. However, consumers have little or no protection or recourse from misleading marketing claims on the packaging.