In India, there is a widespread misconception that tobacco is good for the teeth. Tobacco products are popular as a dentifrice in different parts of India and children also use such dentifrices. Among female smokeless tobacco users, the dominating form is tobacco toothpowder (41.3%). Among men it was khaini (57.1%) followed by tobacco toothpowder (8.8%). Many companies take advantage of this misconception and exploiting the addictive nature of nicotine by packaging and positioning their products as dental care products without explicitly stating so.
Oral hygiene has assumed great importance in Indian households in the recent past and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies are arming themselves to the teeth to capture a large share of this fast growing market.
India oral care market has shown tremendous growth by value & volume in last few years in FMCG sector of India. Growing oral care market is driven by change in life style of consumers, demand of premium products, rising of disposable income etc. Penetration level of oral care products in urban area is high.
India Oral care market is fragmented in 5 categories includes toothpaste, toothbrushes, toothpowder, mouthwash and others. Toothpaste is dominant in oral care market. It is a primary product in daily oral hygiene has huge presence in urban and rural area. Increasing health and personal oral hygiene, Indians are now more aware how their diet affecting their teeth and mouth. Indian is now willing to pay more for prevention attention. This has helped toothpaste category to grow drastically in oral care market.