BHUBANESWAR: Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited, Oral Care brand joined hands with Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry (IAPHD) and the world’s first University for tribals – Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), to highlight the importance of Oral Care in India, and set a new Guinness World Record for most number of people brushing their teeth simultaneously at a single venue.
To create this new Guinness World Record, 26,382 people including students, Institute staff and tribal children gathered at KISS, to brush at the same time with Colgate Strong Teeth toothpaste and Colgate toothbrush.
Ram Raghavan, MD, Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited thanked and said that this milestone event that helps to significantly raise the level of awareness about the importance of Oral Health in India.
“At Colgate, we believe that everyone deserves a future they can smile about and we bring that to life with our Keep India Smiling initiative through our sustained efforts to improve and elevate the Oral Health in the country.”, he said.
Programs such as our flagship Bright Smiles, Bright Futures, which has touched over 162 million children over the past 40 years is a great example of this.
While a lot has been achieved, there’s still a lot more work to be done. And, I think, occasions like today, help to serve as an important reminder about the importance of oral health and its positive impact on people’s health and lives. I urge everyone to continue with good Oral Care habits and as we say at Colgate, Get started with a Smile.”
Prof. Achyuta Samanta, Founder, Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, said, “Our purpose at KIIT and KISS is to nurture and provide a holistic environment for indigenous children to explore their potential and excel in academics, sports and co-curricular activities. Setting this 4th Guinness World Record is another demonstration of our commitment to teaching our students the right way to live and the correct oral care habits that will stay with them for life and help in building their overall health and well-being.”
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Sabyasachi Saha, Secretary, IAPHD, said, “Every year we celebrate 7th November as the National Toothbrushing Day. This year we decided to celebrate it by setting a new Guinness World Record to raise awareness and improve Oral hygiene in the country to make every Indian use a toothbrush. This record is an important milestone in the silver jubilee celebration of Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry.”
To help get started on the path of lifelong healthy Oral Care habits, Colgate has been running its pan-India flagship program -Bright Smiles, Bright Futures (BSBF), since 1976, which provides Oral Health education to urban and rural schoolchildren and has reached over 162 million children till date. Another annual program – Oral Health Month (OHM), which started in 2004, offers free dental check-ups to people across the country, and has helped over 40 million people so far.
