The toothpaste market is getting highly competitive, unlike other segments. It has reinvented itself with new entrants armed with huge war chests to make inroads into a terrain historically dominated by Unilever Nigeria with its premium CloseUp.
One of the brands breaking the monopoly is Colgate, introduced with the launch of Colgate Maximum Cavity Protection Plus Sugar Acid Neutraliser.
Colgate Marketing Director (East and West Africa, EWA), Chris Hall, described it as the most advanced cavity protection for oral health.
“The first toothpaste for the whole family with the exclusive Sugar Acid Neutraliser technology, it fights cavities by neutralising sugar acids right in the dental plaque,” he said.
Hall disclosed that the new Colgate is a major breakthrough in the treatment and prevention of cavities, saying with regular twice daily use, it works to neutralise harmful acids formed by bacteria from sugar to reduce early caries.
It also strengthens and restores enamel to help prevent cavity formation, and “has been demonstrated in various clinical studies to be more efficacious at reducing cavities than conventional toothpaste with fluoride alone.”
Colgate Professional Manager (EWA), Cheslin Twigg, said the fluoride reduces and prevents cavities by strengthening teeth and decreasing de-mineralisation by acids.
His words: “The Sugar Acid Neutraliser technology works to create a healthy environment for the teeth by increasing the plaque pH and further preventing demineralisation and promoting re-mineralisation of the teeth.
“Together, Sugar Acid Neutraliser technology and fluoride help arrest and reverse the caries process by decreasing demineralisation and increasing remineralisation much more effectively than fluoride alone and this results in less cavitation than fluoride alone.”
The product treats the cause of caries by targeting acid produced from sugars by bacteria in plaque, in addition to providing the conventional benefits of fluoride.
In contrast, traditional cavity treatments based on fluoride alone focus solely on treating the symptoms of caries by strengthening the teeth.
Colgate Palmolive Nigeria Marketing Director, Hannah Oyebanjo, explained that Sugar Acid Neutraliser ™ technology works biologically by targeting the primary cause of caries, the plaque biofilm, to reduce the effects of acids produced from sugars before they can harm the teeth.
It promotes the beneficial activity of arginolytic bacteria that convert arginine into ammonia to directly neutralise the “sugar acids” in plaque, creating a healthier environment for the teeth, she said.
