Availability and cost of oral hygiene products commercialized in a city of Paraná State, Brazil

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the availability and cost of products for oral hygiene, such as toothpastes, dental brushes and dental fl oss in a sample of supermarkets located in different localities at the city of Cascavel, PR. Twelve great supermarkets were visited in the period between 2004 and 2006, belonging to different districts located in several areas of the city. The data of different marks and types of the products searched in each establishment and the price of each product was registered in a specifi c record developed by the researcher. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. The average availability of dental brushes, toothpastes and dental fl oss in establishments of downtown/districts was 20/22, 39/37 and 45/34, in 2004, 41/44, 50/47 and 48/47, in 2005, and 7/7, 12/11 and 11/9, in 2006. It was verifi ed a great variability in costs and availability of the products, which also varied in function of location of the supermarket and year of evaluation. It is important that dental professionals evaluate those aspects when recommending the acquisition of those products to patient with different socioeconomics in order to promote the universality of preventive practices in oral health.