Listerine celebrates National Oral Health Month by advocating the importance of oral care and hygiene. Listerine brings this to life by educating families of kids with cleft palate, and also its Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health employees on the transformative impact of good oral health in one’s life by bringing awareness to the growing issue of mouth aging. It continues its mission to provide free comprehensive post-surgery cleft care for children who have undergone corrective surgeries, and educate families on the importance of good oral hygiene.
A Meaningful Collaboration with Operation Smile, Listerine, and Watsons
Cleft lip and palate are one of the more common disorders seen in the Philippines. In fact, in 1 out of 1,000 Filipino live births, a cleft lip or palate patient is born. From these cases, about 90% of them suffer from tooth decay since their oral cavities are exposed. If left untreated, it may lead to a larger than average number of cavities, have missing, malformed, or displaced teeth requiring dental treatments.
“In the Philippines, there is an estimated backlog of 200,000 untreated children with cleft lip and palate and many live in unreachable provinces that’s why we urge the public to refer any patient to Operation Smile Philippines because I believe that each of us can make a difference in our lives by helping to change a life of a child, one smile at a time,” says Operation Smile executive director, Emiliano Romano.
This year, Operation Smile together with Listerine, and Watsons join forces to support these kids to help them regain their confidence and smile again by launching the #SmileTogether project. The project aims to raise awareness for comprehensive cleft care, nutrition, and oral hygiene in the City of Manila.
“This Oral Health Month, Listerine, who has been a long-time partner of Operation Smile, and with the help of Watsons continues to support kids with cleft lips and palettes by providing free access to comprehensive cleft care to less fortunate children. As a mouthwash brand, Listerine advocates proper oral hygiene, especially for kids with cleft, so we can protect them from oral health problems as early as possible,” says senior brand manager for Listerine® Philippines, Miguel Gamboa.
Moreover, Listerine has once again collaborated with one of the top drugstores in the country, Watsons, to help in promoting #SmileTogether through merchandising initiatives in-store. “As part of our mission to Look Good, Do Good, Feel Great, we continue to team up with Operation Smile Philippines to bring perfect smiles to children afflicted with cleft lip and palate through the Watsons Give-a-Smile program. We are proud to have Listerine as a loyal partner since 2013 in transforming the lives of these children,” shared by public relations and sustainability director of Watsons Philippines, Viki Encarnacion.
Systemic and Mouth Aging at the 19th National Dental Health Month Celebration
Listerine also launched its mouth aging lecture during the 19th National Dental Health Month in collaboration with the Philippine Dental Association, in order to bring more awareness to thousands of dentists online about the latest in oral hygiene studies. This was where the ‘Dr. Ricardo Y. Ladrido Memorial Lecture’ was presented with speakers Dr. Stephen B. Almonte, MScD Periodontology who talked about mouth aging, and Dr. Eva Irene Y. Maglonzo, MD, FPAFP, MHPEd, FPCGM who spoke about ‘The Aging Process and Wellness’; bringing forth our advocacy on oral health and how we can advance this through proper education on mouth aging.
Listerine would like to break the cycle of mouthwash apathy by showcasing what healthy mouths can do even at an older age. Listerine also brings to life its advocacy on fighting mouth aging through educational materials that were distributed to Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health Philippines employees this oral health month.
For more information about #SmileTogether campaign, you may visit https://linktr.ee/OpSmilePhil. To know more about Listerine® visit www.listerine.com.ph and follow Listerine on their Facebook @ListerinePhilippines.
