Philips launched a new version of its Sonicare for Kids toothbrush aimed at children between the ages of four and 10 at a London event last month. The kid-friendly power toothbrush is designed to help children develop effective brushing habits early, for a lifetime of good oral health.
To be successfully adopted by children, it also needs to be visually appealing and the upgraded Sonicare for Kids comes with a selection of eight designs for its interchangeable decorative front panels which can be peeled on and off to suit ever changing whims and help create a sense of ownership that can help when siblings are concerned.
Studies amongst children in the target age group shows that Phillips Sonicare for Kids removes more plaque than a children's manual toothbrush.
Mhari Coxon, dental hygenist and professional relations manager for Philips Oral Healthcare was at the launch and said:
“This is important because I often see children who have cavities because they are simply not removing enough plaque from their teeth and parents are surprised and frustrated because they’ve tried to teach their children how to brush effectively.”
Kid smart
The new brush has additional features to make it even more effective for children which include an innovative KidTimer function designed to help young users reach the recommended two minute brushing time by progressively increasing the brushing duration incrementally over a period of 90 days so that they brush for longer every day without realising it. This is important as two minutes at a busy time can seem like a lifetime, and as parents don’t always brush for the allotted time it is hard to get children to do so.
With a in-built timer and quad pacer with rewarding musical tones, children using Sonicare for Kids brush for significantly longer than manual brush users and place equal importance on all four quadrants of their mouth. It designed by experts in child ergonomics to make sure that the way it is used, held and interacted with is as easy, effective and enticing as possible for a child.
It features two intensity settings including a sensitive mode which is gentle on developing teeth and gums to help kids make the transition from a manual to an electric toothbrush. It features two different sized brush heads to accommodate growing mouths, as well as the option of a sensitive brush head.
Professor Ken Eaton, president of the European Association of Dental Public Health and chair of European Platform for Better Oral Health was also at the launch and said:
“We are improving oral health in Europe, but not necessarily as much as we should.”
Mhari Coxon concludes “With Sonicare for Kids, parents can provide thir children with a simple way to start achieving exceptional results now, as they develop consistent, effective brushing habits for a lifestyle of good oral care”.
After the presentation participants were invited to join in with an Alice in Wonderland themed mad hatter tea party to celebrate the release of the children’s brush. A magician and children’s music was also playing in the background, making it ever prominent that this lauch was ‘for the children’.
Sonicare for Kids will have an RRP of £50 and replacement brush heads will retail for £15 for two.