• by Adrienne W. Fawcett , February 8, 2007

February is National Children's Dental Health Month. Are your kids brushing for a full two minutes yet?

For generations, dentists and parents have urged kids to brush their teeth for somewhat longer than it takes to rub a finger over the gum line. Marketers are also supporting the effort with new products meant to keep that toothbrush in motion.

Hasbro is rolling out its battery-operated Tooth Tunes Musical Toothbrush, which is designed to encourage better brushing by increasing the volume of a pop tune as pressure exerted on the brush increases. The product, priced at around $9, provides two minutes of music from artists such as Queen, The Cheetah Girls, Kelly Clarkson, Destiny's Child, Kiss and The Black Eyed Peas. The notion is to get the kid to brush until the tune plays out.

"They could have something going," said Tom Vierhile, director of Datamonitor's Productscan, a new products database. "People have gotten into the habit of buying music one tune at a time."

Pfizer Inc. also is trying to convince kids to do a better brushing job by first rinsing with an alcohol-free mouthwash that turns plaque blue. Listerine Agent Cool Blue Plaque-Detecting Rinse comes in "glacier mint" and "bubble blast" flavors. With $7.3 million in sales for 2006, it has garnered a 1.3% share of the mouthwash category.

Convincing kids to develop proper brushing habits early in life is proving to be of critical importance, because gum disease is being linked to life-threatening illnesses such as heart disease and certain forms of cancer. One of the latest studies, released recently by the American Dental Association, says men with a history of periodontal disease could be at an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, which is usually lethal.

Products like Listerine Cool Agent and Hasbro's Tooth Tunes also come at a time when the $7.5 billion U.S. oral care market is maturing, according to Packaged Facts. The market research company predicts sluggish annual growth over the next five years, with sales reaching $8.9 billion by 2012.

Growth is expected to come in organic and premium-priced products, as well as rinses. The researcher projects sales will grow a healthy 25% in the gum/mouthwash/breath freshener category.

Many whiteners--once a bright spot in the oral care market--have not maintained continual growth, which Vierhile believes is due to lack of convenience.

"Marketers are having a problem with compliance," he said. "People will try them, and then fall off the wagon and not do it."

Perhaps because of that, Procter & Gamble Co. in March is coming out with Crest Whitestrips Daily Multicare, according to Datamonitor. The $40 product, designed for daily use, consists of gel-coated strips for the upper and lower teeth and requires a five-minute commitment.