Title

Herbal toothpaste craze: A marketing triumph or a public health concern

Authors

Mohit Kumar¹, Neha Chitkara², Vivek Vardhan Gupta^3,*, Soni Tuteja⁴, Karan Shahi⁵, Gaurav Garg⁵ & Bhagyesh Ohri⁵

Affiliation

¹Department of Community Medicine, Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, Punjab, India; ²Department of Oral Medicine & Radiology, Christian Dental College, Ludhiana, Punjab, India; ³Department of Public Health Dentistry, Christian Dental College, Ludhiana, Punjab, India; ⁴Department of Periodontics & Oral Implantology, Desh Bhagat Dental College & Hospital, Mandi Gobindgarh, Punjab, India; ⁵Intern, Christian Dental College, Ludhiana, Punjab, India; *Corresponding author

Email

Mohit Kumar - E-mail: mohitsardana119@gmail.com
Neha Chitkara - E-mail: neha.chitkara@cmcludhiana.in
Vivek Vardhan Gupta - E-mail: vivek.gupta@cmcludhiana.in
Soni Tuteja - E-mail: soni.doc@gmail.com
Karan Shahi - E-mail: shahikaran570@gmail.com
Gaurav Garg - E-mail: gauravgarg0109@gmail.com
Bhagyesh Ohri - E-mail: bhagyeshohri@gmail.com

Article Type

Research Article

Date

Received November 15, 2025; Revised December 15, 2025; Accepted December 15, 2025, Published December 15, 2025

Abstract

Despite the growing popularity of herbal toothpastes, there is limited awareness among consumers regarding their actual composition, potential risks or the importance of fluoride in caries prevention. This cross-sectional survey among 300 respondents of rural centres of a medical college found that 68% used herbal toothpaste with major influence through television adverts. Although 72% were convinced that herbal toothpastes are free from chemicals, only 18% knew of hazards like enamel wear and awareness of fluoride was comparatively low. Most participants complained of dental problems without attributing them to toothpaste use, although 83% indicated a willingness to revisit their decision after receiving information and 72% would like to be advised by dental practitioners. Consumers are open to professional advice, highlighting an urgent need for public health education and stricter labeling.

Keywords

Herbal, toothpaste, marketing, oral health, hygiene

Citation

Kumar et al. Bioinformation 21(12): 4543-4547 (2025)

Edited by

Vini Mehta

ISSN

0973-2063

Publisher

Biomedical Informatics

License

This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.