Affordable Fluoride Toothpaste in Oral Health Care with a Public Health Dentist Perspective

Abstract Affordable fluoride toothpaste (AFT) is the primary preventive component within the basic Package of Oral Care (BPOC), distinguishing itself from the secondary preventive aspects of oral urgent treatment and atraumatic restorative treatment. The affordability of fluoride toothpaste (FT) is a significant barrier to achieving oral health equity, which refers to the absence of avoidable, unfair, or remediable differences among groups of people, such as those defined by socioeconomic status, age, gender, or geographic location. Adherence to the recommendation of brushing teeth twice daily with FT is also another challenge. Hence, this review addresses the informational gap in understanding AFT as an effective tool for promoting equity in oral health care with a public health dentist’s perspective. FT is widely accessible and affordable in high-income countries, moderately affordable in middle-income countries, and often prohibitively expensive in low-income countries. Toothpaste prices vary widely depending on brand, fluoride content, package size, and country of purchase. In addition, taxes and import duties in certain countries have significantly raised consumer costs and exacerbated inequities. Various toothpaste products generate specific preferences. Therefore, these choices driven by different price rates have ultimately confused consumers, leading to the loss of true advocacy of AFT as a part of the World Health Organization BPOC package in oral health care. Moreover, the lack of clarity regarding whether toothpaste should be categorized as a medicinal or a cosmetic product also poses a significant barrier. This ambiguity has been strategically leveraged as a part of industrial tactics to expand the market for consumer goods, particularly in the toothpaste industry. AFT needs strong advocacy at the upstream and midstream in the public health approach in middle- and low-income countries for effective implementation of the BPOC to enhance oral health at both the community and population levels.