Signal launches 21 day campaign to instil habit of night time brushing

Over the years, Signal has been talking to millions of mums about teeth, toothpaste, toothbrushes and more recently the challenges of getting their kids to brush their teeth twice daily. Mums believe that kids are more likely to brush their teeth if they do it together with their parents in a fun yet educational way.

Furthermore, the Signal ‘science of sharing’ research which has been carried out over the past few years proves that doing things together with children increases the likelihood of them adopting a behaviour – and to adopt a behaviour, it takes around 21 days of repeated action – hence the brand has learnt that this is a good lesson for when parents are trying to get their kids to take on important life habits.

All of this has inspired Signal to create a new campaign to help children and parents to brush day and night. This is especially important because brushing day and night with fluoride toothpaste can cut tooth decay up to 50% for children.

The most recent Oral Health Report conducted in Sri Lanka reveals the state of the nation’s children’s teeth – indicating that nearly half of all children aged 12 to 15 have tooth decay. It also reports that on average, Sri Lankan children only start brushing their teeth regularly at the age of 14, leaving plenty of time beforehand for oral disease to set in. Worryingly, 70% of the people in Sri Lanka admit that they don’t brush their teeth the recommended minimum of twice a day.

According to Dr. Gamini De Silva of the Sri Lanka Dental Association: “Tooth decay and other oral diseases are easily preventable. Brushing day and night with fluoride toothpaste can cut tooth decay in children significantly and it has been proven this action can leave fewer bacteria in your child’s mouth overnight, meaning less tooth decay.”

It is easy to think of toothache and oral disease as something we have to put up with as a normal part of life, but, this needn’t be the case. The Sri Lankan Dental Association tells us that almost all oral disease is preventable if we take care of our oral health from a young age; by brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, especially at night just before bed.

The new campaign launched by Signal stems from the belief that it takes approximately 20-25 days to make or break a habit and as such will invite the public to take up the challenge to get their children to brush their teeth at night consecutively for 21 days starting from 1 June. It is Signal’s belief that if families can successfully engage in this effort for at least 21 days, that at the end of that period it will no longer feel like a chore but rather a part of the child’s daily routine.

The campaign kicked off with members of the Signal Night Time Brushing Brigade visiting several towns across the island distributing a 21-day calendar on which parents can mark down each day that their successfully brush their teeth at night. At the end of the 21 days the parents have to send in their child’s calendar along with a Signal carton to a PO Box number mentioned on the calendar which will be entered into a draw.

From the draw 10 lucky children will receive a gift voucher from Lumala worth Rs 25,000 while their parents will receive Rs 75,000 in cash. Further it gives another opportunity for 50 lucky winners to win a bag of toys every day from 1 to 21 June by sending an SMS after they brush their teeth at night.

Endorsing this theory is Dr. Jayan Mendis, the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health in Sri Lanka. According to him, “any activity if repeated daily for a continuous period of time will become a habit. It is believed that to make a habit of an activity such as brushing ones teeth, daily repetition for a period of approximately three weeks will convince the brain to accept this data for a change of habit.”

Over the past several years Signal has been the forerunner in terms of educating the public of the importance of brushing teeth, especially at night, and has introduced several novel ways in which parents can make brushing more fun for their kids, highlighting the importance of brushing to parents and has been carrying out annual campaigns to spread this message to all parts of the country.

Speaking about Signal’s commitment to this campaign Nilushi Jayatileke, Category Head of Oral Care & Deodorants at Unilever Sri Lanka, stated: “If we start good habits when they are young, such as brushing their teeth twice a day, we can help our children have a healthy mouth for life. That’s why we at Signal are so proud to launch the Signal’s 21-day habit building campaign to improve oral health through encouraging children and their parents to brush their teeth twice a day, every day.”