Oral B edges out competitors in paste category

Oral-B has taken over the leadership of the tooth paste market in Nigeria

By Adebayo Obajemu

The art of maintaining a healthy teeth is as old as the evolution of man ,beginning with the use of hygienic root and bark of some special trees , but the advent of colonialism to Nigeria has really changed the way we clean and maintain a healthy dentition.
In the 60s, 70s and early 80s, Maclean and Pepsodent were leading rivals, and according to a research carried out by Research& Analytics,   “Maclean was the market leader up till 1980, when Pepsodent gradually took over, and maintained steady lead until a new entrant, Close Up took over.”
According to findings by this reporter the over three decades reign of Close Up may have   come to an  end. Dr. Samson Ajirebi, head of research at Research& Analytics, in his chat with this reporter, said a host of factors may have combined to put an end to the long reign of Close Up. According to it, the corrosive effect of sweet carbonated beverages and other drinks and the obsession with fast foods have led many people to seek a more effective toothpaste to combat address the challenge of rotten, and sometime aching teeth.

At Justrite in Dalemo, Alukoko, a suburbs of Lagos, in the last three years, Oral B, recommended by Nigeria Dental Association, has outsold Close Up, Pepsodent and other toothpaste brands. James Kolawole, the manager of the store told this newspaper that ” In terms of efficacy to combat toothache and other challenge associated with teeth, the most effective are Sensodyne and Long rich, but because they are costlier, many Nigerians have settled for Oral B, which is also effective. Here, we sell a piece of Oral B at N350, while Close Up is sold at N250 a piece .”

At Agege, this reporter interviewed 10 retailers on the sale history of Oral B and Close Up, and seven of them said they sell more Oral B than Close Up on a daily basis, while the remaining three said the sale profile is at parity.
” I sell more Oral B than Close Up on a daily basis “, said Mrs Abigail Adesola, who owns a supermarket at New Oko Oba market.
At Iyana Ipaja market, Mohammed Ibrahim, a retail seller located at Shop B3 inside the motor park told this newspaper that ” I sell more Close Up than any other toothpaste brands, closely following is Oral B and Sensodyne in that order.”

At Ijaye bus stop along Lagos-Abeokuta  Expressway, out of five hawkers interviewed, all agreed that they sell more Oral B than any other brand.
A brand analyst, Ambrose Omordion , a dealing member of the Nigeria Stock Exchange told this newspaper that ” The changing nature of our diets, including our addiction to sugary products has made Oral B a necessity, and is the main reason for the near displacement of Close Up by Oral B ,since the latter is specifically produced to address toothache and other teeth challenge. ”
This newspaper’s finding reveals the dominance of Oral B, closely followed by Close Up, Sensodyne and Pepsodent in that order.
A dental surgeon, Dr. Ahmed Sanni of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja told this newspaper that ” The clinically proven paste to relieve toothache is the way to go now, thus brands like Sensodyne and Oral B are going to become increasingly important. ” He said Sensodyne and Longrich are the best for treatment of toothache and associated problems , but because they are expensive in the market, many have settled for Oral B which is also effective but cheap.