First Haleon Oral Health Hub opens in Tesco

News

Posted by: Dental Design 21st November 2024

Leading global consumer healthcare company Haleon, which owns oral health brands like Sensodyne, Corsodyl and Aquafresh, has partnered with UK retailer Tesco on a pilot to deliver free oral health advice to shoppers.

The Haleon Oral Health Hub will provide shoppers with free advice on how to best take care of their teeth and mouth from a qualified Oral Health Educator in the Tesco Extra store in Cheshunt.

Customers can book a free appointment in the Hub and receive tailored guidance on how to care for their oral health. They can also receive advice on how to support family members, such as children and elderly people, on how to maintain a healthy mouth.

With more than three-in-four adults (76%) in the UK experiencing dental problems in the last year^[1], it is important to provide clear, simple, and actionable individual advice on how to keep teeth and gums healthy. Most oral health conditions are preventable^[2], with a good oral health routine. Creating additional awareness of best practices to engage with, especially when caring for young children is essential – tooth decay was the most common reason for hospital admission in children aged between 6 and 10 years in 2022.^[3] With pressure on dental practices remaining incredibly high, innovative approaches like this for the delivery of oral health advice have never been more important.

The Oral Health Hub forms part of a pilot scheme where customers in the refurbished Cheshunt Extra store can now get advice, treatment and virtual GP appointments to discuss a range of health concerns in Tesco’s first ever health zone. Appointments can be booked at: Venues | Booking Widget.

The health zone pilot builds on Tesco’s existing pharmacy offer which serves half a million customers every week across 365 UK pharmacies, delivering everything from flu jabs and NHS Pharmacy First services, to free blood pressure checks and free advice on cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

Two further health zones are planned in Hexham in Northumberland and West Durrington in West Sussex in 2025 and, if the pilot is successful, more could be rolled out across the country in future.

Dr Kate Fabrikant, Medical Director, Northern Europe, Haleon said: “Raising awareness of what a person can do to become healthier, and supporting it with education on best practices in oral care, is one of the ways Haleon can facilitate delivery of preventative oral care outside of traditional healthcare settings. Haleon’s Oral Health Hub partnership with Tesco shows the value of collaboration and partnership across industry, retailers and the profession in helping to support better oral health outcomes for people in Cheshunt, with potential to be applied across the UK in near future.”

Tom Bassett, Head of Grocery Sales, Haleon GB said: “Haleon is incredibly proud to be partnering with Tesco on this important initiative to bring better everyday health for customers. Recognising the barriers facing customers, the launch of the Oral Health Hub provides access to oral health advice in a way that is convenient to them.”

Frankie Lydford, Category Buying Manager for Healthcare, said: “We are so pleased to be working with Haleon who will be providing our customers with free oral health advice as part of this pilot. With the opening of the new dedicated health services in our Cheshunt Extra store, customers can now get support with their oral health while they shop or when it’s most convenient, and this partnership fits with our wider commitment to supporting our customers to live healthier lives.”

References

[1] New research uncovers UK’s most common dental issues | Oral Health Foundation

[2] Oral health, World Health Organisation

[3] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hospital-tooth-extractions-in-0-to-19-year-olds-2023/hospital-tooth-extractions-in-0-to-19-year-olds-short-statistical-commentary-2023#:~:text=Tooth%20decay%20was%20still%20the,NHS%20national%20cost%20collection%20data.