Are you up for a Challenge? Join Listerine’s 21 Days to Better Oral Health

Malaysia’s leading mouthwash brand Listerine joined forces with 21 local celebrities to kick off a nationwide exercise on 15th Jan 2013 with the aim of helping Malaysian adults improve their oral health.

Known as Listerine 21 Days Challenge, the campaign challenges Malaysian adults to elevate their oral health by using Listerine mouthwash twice every day for 21 days consecutively, with a money-back guarantee* for anyone who does not experience any difference at the end of the 21 days.

According to Johnson & Johnson Consumer Malaysia and Singapore Commercial Director Eunice Tan, the majority of Malaysian adults still do not include mouthwash in their daily oral hygiene routine, making them susceptible to common oral issues such as bad breath, tooth decay and bleeding gums.

Johnson & Johnson Consumer Malaysia and Singapore Commercial Director Eunice Tan

“Brushing teeth cleans only 23 percent of the mouth. Rinsing with antiseptic mouthwash is highly crucial to weed out bacteria in areas where brushing cannot reach. Unfortunately, a survey has showed that only 23.6 percent** Malaysians regularly use mouthwash,” Tan explained in her speech during the campaign launch.

*Terms and conditions apply.
**Source: Kantar Worldpanel – Peninsular Malaysia, August2012 

She added: “To instill the healthy habit of adopting mouthwash as part of Malaysians’ daily oral cleansing regimen, we are conducting the Listerine 21 Days Challenge with a money-back guarantee as an assurance of Listerine’s efficacy to improve consumers’ oral health”.

Why 21 days? According to Tan, experts have agreed that 21 days is the amount of time it takes for a habit to take root in a person’s life.

“In other words, if you can do something continuously for three weeks, then it is likely to stick with you for the rest of your life. Hence, Listerine’s 21 Days Challenge aims to help Malaysians not only to start using mouthwash, but to adopt it as a habit in their oral cleansing regime, twice daily,” said Tan.

With Listerine’s money-back guarantee, Malaysians taking up the 21 Days Challenge have nothing to lose – except embarrassing bad breath and dental pains – and everything to gain. Listerine antiseptic mouthwash is capable of preventing all accessible surfaces of the oral cavity, and reduces the build-up of bacteria in our mouth. This is crucial because a hotspot of bacteria forms a layer of plaque, which would in turn cause gingivitis, or the inflammation of the gums. Worse, gingivitis may lead to periodontitis, an irreversible condition that may cause tooth lost.

As always, prevention is better than cure. Studies have found that rinsing with Listerine antiseptic mouthwash after brushing and flossing can reduce 52% more plaque and 21% more gingivitis than brushing and flossing alone.***

“Unfortunately, awareness on the importance of using antiseptic mouthwash remains low. While dentists and oral healthcare practitioners recommend adding antiseptic mouthwash to the oral cleaning routine, most Malaysian adults stop at brushing thinking that brushing alone is enough,” said Tan.

Leading the campaign are 21 local celebrities including actors, radio and TV presenters, singers and sports personalities, who had taken up the challenge and adopted Listerine mouthwash in their daily oral hygiene routine. They make the perfect role models for oral health, as they are constantly interacting with people and under the scrutiny of the public, and as such, maintaining a high level of oral hygiene means scoring high on their personal social or popularity meter.

***Data in file (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Malaysia).

Knowing that brushing alone is not enough to maintain oral health, the much-celebrated married couple Scha Alyahya and Awal Ashaari are always reminding each other to use Listerine.

“Just like how we take care of each other’s physical health, we are also mindful of each other’s oral hygiene. Oral problems such as cavity, bleeding gums and bad breath can be very uncomfortable and embarrassing, so I wouldn’t want my husband to suffer from them. Similarly, I know Awal cares for me too when he nags me about rinsing with Listerine,” said the actress with a smile.

In response, the actor nodded earnestly while adding, “My wife’s wellbeing is my utmost concern, and that includes her oral health. Since learning that Listerine will help us fight bacteria in hard-to-reach places in the mouth, I made sure that it is on the top of our shopping list every time.”

Top local radio and TV host Serena C also swears on Listerine to maintain her image under the scrutiny of the public eye.

“As my job requires me to interview and talk to a lot of people, I am always mindful about the freshness of my breath. Imagine the humiliation if the other person drops unconscious to the ground once I open my mouth! Thus, I’m thrilled to discover that using Listerine twice a day after brushing my teeth has vastly improved the freshness of my breath, which lasts throughout the day,” said Serena C.

Keen to kick-start a lifetime of oral health? Take up Listerine’s 21 Days Challenge today and see the difference for yourself! Also, find out how some of the celebrities keep their social meters high with Listerine through their video on www.facebook.com/ListerineMalaysia

Listerine antiseptic mouthwash is available in nine different flavours at major hyper and supermarkets and pharmacies nationwide. For more information on the Listerine 21 Days Challenge, visit www.listerine.com.my or call 03-7787 3106 (Mon-Thu, 9 am – 5 pm; Fri 9 am- 3 pm).