Dental professionals from across the UK recently attended an immersive event as Colgate introduced a new era in active prevention. Taking place at Frameless in London, the audience had the opportunity to experience the active prevention engagement whilst hearing insights from patients, scientists, academia, and the dental profession. Simon Peterson, senior vice president and general manager at Colgate, Northern Europe welcomed everybody, sharing Colgate’s success is built on valued, trust-based relationships with various partners, including the dental community. He highlighted Colgate’s leadership position as it reaches two-thirds of households worldwide, emphasizing the opportunity for entering this new era.
Katie Mitchell, senior insights manager at Colgate, shared what good oral care means to patients. Insights revealed the need for increased focus on patient empowerment through prevention, as several patients expressed feeling they lack the knowledge necessary to optimize their oral health at home. To change these perceptions, Dr. Bayardo Garcia-Godoy, senior researcher at Colgate, introduced the new Colgate Total toothpaste, formulated to support dental teams extending their professional care and improving patient self-care at home. The new toothpaste features advanced technology with stabilised stannous fluoride formulated for high bioactivity, targeting the underlying causes of common health problems.
Alongside the toothpaste, Bayardo also highlighted the potential for personalized active prevention through the new Colgate Total Active Prevention range, including toothpaste, toothbrushes, and mouthwash. This range aims to create holistic oral care regimes for patients.
Tim Newton, professor at King’s College, discussed strategies for effective behavior change, analyzing barriers to preventive care and providing suggestions for overcoming those challenges. Using GPS as an analogy, Tim illustrated how to set goals and navigate along the path to achieving optimum dental health.
Dr. Mohsan Ahmad, working primarily within the NHS, echoed this sentiment, illustrating how his team enhances patient engagement through personalized advice, encouraging self-driven journeys toward preventive care. To give professionals the resources they need, Jan Prisic, professional brand manager for Colgate, introduced the Colgate Total Active Prevention Toolkit. This toolkit supports dental professionals in implementing active prevention strategies between patient visits, featuring comprehensive tools like pre-assessment questionnaires and coaching aids.
The event concluded successfully, receiving enthusiastic feedback such as ‘inspiring and insightful.’ Such positive reinforcement champions the growing recognition of prevention as integral for national oral health.
Meanwhile, across the globe, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has been making strides to improve patient adherence to HIV treatment. AHF's collaboration with São Paulo's Emílio Ribas Hospital has initiated the “Linkage and Retention of People Living with HIV and AIDS Project.” The project addresses the pressing challenges of ensuring patients continue their antiretroviral treatment, especially those who previously dropped out. According to Márcia de Lima, the project’s coordinator, strategic actions and continuous live monitoring of patients have demonstrated significant successes, with 77% of individuals who stopped attending their follow-ups returning to treatment.
AHF's approach emphasizes immediate accessibility, creating welcoming environments, along with unique strategies such as proactive outreach to discourage abandonment. By focusing on individualized care, the initiative promotes autonomy and consistent adherence to treatment which is deeply personal and holistic.
Recognizing the inequalities present within São Paulo, AHF also seeks to provide solutions for patients from diverse, sometimes challenging, backgrounds, addressing barriers like mental health issues, stigma, and economic hardship. The initiative employs various methods, including intersectoral care and health education, pointing toward much-needed social policy reforms.
At the forefront of technological innovations, Enhanced Innovations has addressed last-mile problems affecting the distribution of temperature-sensitive vaccines. Their CEO, Ankita Mittal, praised the startup’s development of Phloton - an active-cooling vaccine carrier providing 14 hours of power backup and solar charging capabilities. This carrier offers reliable temperature control between 2°C to 8°C through advanced AI technology and is compatible with all off-grid energy sources.
Mittal explained, “On-grid, our product is 30% more efficient than existing solutions. And with solar integration, it can be operated at 100% green electricity.” With ambitions to tackle issues ingrained within India's vaccination efforts, Phloton aims to conserve valuable resources and reduce wastage due to inadequate refrigeration as it expands through various applications. The technology supports agricultural, biomedical, and organ transport sectors, reinforcing the relationship between innovation and health.
These three instances of innovation highlight broad movements toward enhanced patient care, education, and treatment efficiency, for speculative aims of improved health outcomes globally. By embracing comprehensive approaches rooted in prevention, technology, and interlinked care, the future of active healthcare prevention risks not just benefiting specific populations but potentially phasing out broader public health crises.