Signal; supporting good oral habits in partnership with SLDA for over 3 decades
Saturday, 15 March 2014 00:00
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Since 1982, together with the Sri Lanka Dental Association (SLDA), Signal has been committed to ensuring good oral health among Sri Lankans of all ages. Signal’s good oral hygiene campaign has been delivered on many different fronts, taking the message of the importance of brushing teeth with a fluoridated toothpaste to the entire country.
Recommended by the SLDA (Sri Lanka Dental Association) and endorsed by the FDI World Dental Federation, the largest global dental association, Signal has been actively hosting Signal Oral Health Services (SOHS) for over 30 years. This freely held dental health service provided free dental checkups and conducted dental health community camps.
Signal’s popular Sina Bo Wewa outreach program has made a strong impact in the field of oral health awareness, with 19 camps conducted throughout the island.
As a globally recognised brand, Signal has been working in partnership with the World Dental Federation since 2004. Signal has reached over one million people throughout 40 oral health improvement initiatives across 37 countries, making it one of the world’s most active oral healthcare brands.
“The work we are doing through the partnership with Signal is important from a consumer perspective. We know that the most common disease worldwide is tooth decay, affecting millions of people; men, women and children. Nine out of 10 people in the world are affected by tooth decay and gum diseases. I’m determined to continue to support the work of the partnership and I am confident that together, we can measurably improve oral health around the world,” Said Dr. Orlando Monteiro da Silva, President of the FDI World Dental Federation.
For 55 years, Signal has been recognised as one of Sri Lanka’s oldest oral health care products, one of the flagship brands under the 75 year old Unilever Sri Lanka umbrella. “There’s something that Signal has been able to build during such a long history,” said Unilever Sri Lanka Marketing Director Siddharth Banerjee. “It’s about the fact that Signal has been such an integral part of every Sri Lankan who almost always started his or her journey of oral health with Signal. It’s more than a brand of toothpaste. It has formed a cornerstone of oral health in this country for generations.”
Together with the SLDA and the Ministry of Health, Signal has been driving oral health care as a core project that has benefitted hundreds of Sri Lankans over a thirty year period.
Fluoride toothpaste was introduced to Sri Lanka in 1984 by Signal. As per data from the Oral Health Survey conducted by the Ministry of Health, the level of cavities present among six year olds in 1984 was 80%, while the figure for 12 year olds was 67%. In the study done in 2003, the level of cavities among 06 year olds was down to 65.5%, registering a drop of over 20%. Among 12 year olds, it had come down to 40%.
Signal is manufactured to meet internationally specified guidelines. All Unilever dental care products are manufactured under the advice and guidelines stipulated by the FDI World Dental Federation and International Association of Dental Research (IADR).
On the threshold of celebrating over half a century of being at the forefront of oral health care in Sri Lanka, Signal plans to continue its journey as the nation’s oral healthcare pioneer into the 21st century.
