Remove taste as a barrier to behaviour change

Colgate explains how improved taste in oral care products can motivate behaviour change and increase patient adherence.

Product efficacy and patient adherence are pivotal factors for achieving optimal clinical outcomes. Adherence to recommendations can be challenging when they cause tooth staining or taste unpleasant. So, recommending a product with a preferred taste over another benefits patient adherence (Colgate, 2020).

To help dental professionals support adherence, Colgate recently commissioned a survey. PerioGard CHX mouthwash was tested at home by 217 gum condition sufferers in the UK over a 15-day period.

The findings of this survey indicate that PerioGard CHX is liked from the first use with 90% of users happy to use for the recommended course (Colgate, 2023). This implies that PerioGard CHX has the potential to remove taste as a barrier to behaviour change.

Consequently, it presents dental professionals a valuable recommendation to effectively engage and motivate their patients with gum problems whilst helping reduce gum conditions and bacterial plaque (Colgate, 2019) (Fine, 2019).

Motivating behaviour change

The key to promoting and sustaining oral health often hinges on the ability to connect with and empower patients on their journey to healthy gums.

It’s important to view behaviour change as a cyclical process. Engagement starts with encouraging motivation to change and providing support when patients are prepared to act. This entails establishing rapport, empathising with patients, and delivering support in a suitable format at the right time (Michie et al, 2019).

Active product recommendations can assist in engaging and motivating patients helping support behaviour change and may avoid relapse (Colgate, 2019).

A patient’s motivation plays a key role in shaping their capabilities, and in turn, issues related to capability and opportunity can profoundly impact an individual’s motivation (Michie et al, 2019).

Some of the most expressed motivational issues are around side effects or taste. Eliminating barriers based on taste can be as important as removing all the other barriers

Effective solutions designed to encourage behaviour change

The PerioGard range has been designed to encourage adherence by overcoming patients’ barriers of staining and unpleasant flavour.  The clinically proven range consists of both short-term and daily oral care solutions.

Short-term

PerioGard chlorhexidine 0.12% mouthwash is an effective anti-bacterial solution for short-term use with unique anti-stain technology. It is clinically proven to reduce bacterial plaque, helping to reduce gum problems including 42% less tooth staining (Colgate, 2023) (Fine, 2019).

Daily oral care

PerioGard Gum Protection mouthwash is a highly effective combination of anti-bacterial ingredients, cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) and zinc lactate. Supporting the maintenance of gum health and daily oral care by providing 60% reduction in plaque, delivering a long-lasting antibacterial effect (Rösing et al, 2017) (Langa et al, 2017).

For patients with gum problems, recommend PerioGard to encourage adherence and drive positive clinical outcomes.

References

1. Colgate UK Consumer Survey on Cosmetic Toothpaste (Feb 2020). n=504
2. Home consumer test (2023). n= 217. Data on file. Colgate-Palmolive Company
3. People Experience Programme completed in UK (June 2019). n=483. Data on file
4. Fine D, et al. (2019). (CRO-2018-05-CHX-ED)
5. Michie et al, ‘The behaviour change wheel: A new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions’. Implementation Sci 6, 42 (2011)
6. CPC alone. Rösing CK, et al. Braz. Oral Res. (2017), 31:e47
7. Versus a competitive mouthrinse with essential oils in an alcohol-free base. Langa GPJ et al. JADA (2021), 152(2):105-114.

For more information about PerioGard, visit www.colgateprofessional.co.uk/products/periogard.