Advertisements have since long been used to promote the products and carry the information regarding the USP of the products to the potential consumers. Innovative advertising has been instrumental in selling innumerable products that were at par with the rest of the breed. However, there are times when manipulative, misleading and misguiding advertisements are used to lure the consumers into buying certain products.
Take the instance of several advertisements related to toothpastes which are based on false, deceptive and fraudulent features. Companies highlight them in such a way that people affirm their faith in them and, later on, when they come to know about the actual position, it is too late. There are no legal checks on such misleading and misguiding advertising practices by the government which are defrauding the public in a big way.
One such advertisement that may not have escaped your notice talks of the presence of fluoride in while other talks of the paste enriched with salt. These advertisements are merely sales gimmicks and may not be beneficial for your well-being.
Dr. Aseem Prakash Tikku, Dean Students Welfare at Lucknow’s King George Dental Sciences University agrees that advertisements talking of fluoride or salt in toothpastes may always not be best for the users. Says Dr. Tikku: “Fluoride is definitely anti-carious and helps fight tooth decay. It is widely used in toothpastes abroad. But the chief reason is that fluoride content is low in water and therefore enough fluoride does not reach them through diet. In India the circumstances are different. As it is we take lot of it in diet and water too, at places, contains excess fluoride. If we do not tell all this and adds fluoride as supplement, what will be its benefit?”
The same is the case with advertisements talking of salt in toothpastes. Advertisers do not tell that salt could be bad for the patients of high blood pressure. If salt is kept on tongue, part of it is bound to reach the stomach. Therefore, entire family continue to use these pastes without realizing that they might be doing harm to some members of the family.
Clarifies Dr. Tikku “Pastes act as lubrication and contain mint as freshener that makes us feel good. Otherwise, you can brush your teeth with water as well.”
When asked about the actual role of toothpaste in the cleansing process, Dr. Tikku tells that the role of toothpaste is negligible when compared to the role of toothbrush and the technique of brushing. He adds, “You keep using paste on finger; it won’t clean your teeth.”
The need of the hour is for the Government to make strict guidelines so that proper message reaches the consumer through advertising campaigns. “Toothpaste is just one product related to our profession. There are innumerable other products like those related to the cosmetic and health industry where guidelines need to be set,” avers Dr. Tikku and says that media too should be more vigilant and impart its duty in carrying forth the relevant information and awareness to the public.
Dr. Tikku rues the fact that the advertising campaign of toothpastes has even reached the villages and incited the rural folks to start using them. “Till the time village folks used neem, which is a good antiseptic and mouth cleanser, their teeth never decayed. This is a time proven truth. But upon seeing the advertisements these people too left neem and shifted to toothpastes. There was nobody to tell them of the right technique of brushing and hence their teeth too started decaying. Eventually, there was greater loss than benefit.”
Moral! People are advised not to believe and follow the advertisements blindly. One must consult their doctors or apply brain before accepting what is being said as true.
Take the instance of several advertisements related to toothpastes which are based on false, deceptive and fraudulent features. Companies highlight them in such a way that people affirm their faith in them and, later on, when they come to know about the actual position, it is too late. There are no legal checks on such misleading and misguiding advertising practices by the government which are defrauding the public in a big way.
One such advertisement that may not have escaped your notice talks of the presence of fluoride in while other talks of the paste enriched with salt. These advertisements are merely sales gimmicks and may not be beneficial for your well-being.
Dr. Aseem Prakash Tikku, Dean Students Welfare at Lucknow’s King George Dental Sciences University agrees that advertisements talking of fluoride or salt in toothpastes may always not be best for the users. Says Dr. Tikku: “Fluoride is definitely anti-carious and helps fight tooth decay. It is widely used in toothpastes abroad. But the chief reason is that fluoride content is low in water and therefore enough fluoride does not reach them through diet. In India the circumstances are different. As it is we take lot of it in diet and water too, at places, contains excess fluoride. If we do not tell all this and adds fluoride as supplement, what will be its benefit?”
The same is the case with advertisements talking of salt in toothpastes. Advertisers do not tell that salt could be bad for the patients of high blood pressure. If salt is kept on tongue, part of it is bound to reach the stomach. Therefore, entire family continue to use these pastes without realizing that they might be doing harm to some members of the family.
Clarifies Dr. Tikku “Pastes act as lubrication and contain mint as freshener that makes us feel good. Otherwise, you can brush your teeth with water as well.”
When asked about the actual role of toothpaste in the cleansing process, Dr. Tikku tells that the role of toothpaste is negligible when compared to the role of toothbrush and the technique of brushing. He adds, “You keep using paste on finger; it won’t clean your teeth.”
The need of the hour is for the Government to make strict guidelines so that proper message reaches the consumer through advertising campaigns. “Toothpaste is just one product related to our profession. There are innumerable other products like those related to the cosmetic and health industry where guidelines need to be set,” avers Dr. Tikku and says that media too should be more vigilant and impart its duty in carrying forth the relevant information and awareness to the public.
Dr. Tikku rues the fact that the advertising campaign of toothpastes has even reached the villages and incited the rural folks to start using them. “Till the time village folks used neem, which is a good antiseptic and mouth cleanser, their teeth never decayed. This is a time proven truth. But upon seeing the advertisements these people too left neem and shifted to toothpastes. There was nobody to tell them of the right technique of brushing and hence their teeth too started decaying. Eventually, there was greater loss than benefit.”
Moral! People are advised not to believe and follow the advertisements blindly. One must consult their doctors or apply brain before accepting what is being said as true.
