Kuala Lumpur, June 10th, 2016 – How many Malaysians ever give some thoughts about their toothbrush? Can they tell whether they are using the right toothbrush or not? Many, at the same time, still have the misconception that the harder the toothbrush, the better.

Malaysians’ perception on good oral health may be inaccurate. Based on the National Oral Health Survey 2010, 95% of Malaysian adults perceived that they have good oral health. However, one in three still experienced oral health problems affecting their quality of life in the past three months. This difference between the perception of oral care, and the reality of oral care has resulted in an increased prevalence of periodontal disease amongst Malaysian adults over the last 10 years.

SYSTEMA, the number 1 toothbrush brand in Japan, that is quickly becoming a favourite in Malaysia, has made it their mission to close the gap when it comes to better oral health care by spreading awareness on choosing the right toothbrush to more people.

According to Southern Lion Sdn Bhd, Oral Care Department, Marketing Manager, Pn. Nazura Jalil, “Despite dentists worldwide recommendation, Malaysian consumers typically choose harder toothbrushes believing that it cleans better and apply excessive pressure when brushing, resulting in sore and bleeding gums, without achieving maximum oral cleanliness. With a majority of consumers still unaware on the importance of choosing the right toothbrush for their oral needs, and brushing habits, SYSTEMA has continued from the success of our Start Right Brush Right campaign with the ‘Love At First Brush’ campaign.”

Consumer surveys reveal that 8 out of 10 consumers love SYSTEMA toothbrushes after their very first brush, and have switched over from their hard bristles toothbrushes to enjoy the benefits of the brand’s patented 0.02mm soft tapered bristles that cleans more gently yet thoroughly.

Inspired by its Japanese heritage of oral health and driven by its parent company Lion Corporation’s guiding principle of keeping 20 more of their own teeth even until the age of 80, SYSTEMA’s ‘Love At First Brush‘ mission is to help 1 million Malaysians in choosing a soft tapered bristles toothbrush for a good start to better oral care.

“Love At First Brush with SYSTEMA is a reality that more Malaysians are experiencing and are sharing with their families and friends. We want to encourage more Malaysians to take the very first step in maintaining their dental health for longer, with the right toothbrush. From what we have seen, heard and read, more Malaysians are switching to SYSTEMA toothbrushes.”

Celebrating consumers’ preference for the brand and its wide range of toothbrushes, was the theme at the launch of the Love At First Brush consumer campaign. Present were deejays from some of the hottest radio stations in the nation namely Prem and Aishah Sinclair from MixFM, Abby Fana from SinarFM and Haniff Hamzah from ERA, all of whom have shared their Systema Love At First Brush experiences.

Deejay Prem from MixFM shared his SYSTEMA love story on overcoming the difficulties in cleaning plaque in hard-to-reach-areas in the mouth especially when he was wearing braces.

Prem said he loves SYSTEMA toothbrushes as it is 9x cleaner along the gum line, and cleans 40% better between his teeth. He switched to Systema and taking care of his teeth has been much easier with less pain on his tender gums too.

It has been proven that soft tapered bristles such as those in SYSTEMA toothbrushes can penetrate the gum line and in-between teeth better, while being gentler on the gums. Studies have shown that SYSTEMA’s patented 0.02mm soft tapered bristles clean up to 40% better in-between teeth and 9x better along the gum line.

MixFM’s Aishah Sinclair began to experience bleeding gums while expecting her first child. Her vigorous brushing exacerbated the problem. Her dentist found that she had the beginning signs of receding gums, and recommended a toothbrush with softer bristles. Aishah has been using SYSTEMA for the past five years, and bleeding gums have become a thing of the past. SYSTEMA toothbrushes are three times gentler on her gums by reducing brushing pressure by 66%.

Meanwhile, Haniff Hamzah, a mainstay of ERA FM loves SYSTEMA’s 0.02mm tapered bristles that clean 40% better in-between. An avowed foodie, food bits stuck between teeth has always been a bane and it used to take him a lot of efforts to remove the food bits until he discovered Systema, and has been a constant user since.

Bubbly Sinar FM deejay, Abby Fana is “obsessed” with having clean teeth, as she always needs her teeth to feel clean. Being away at work may not allow her the opportunity to floss easily but since she discovered SYSTEMA, she feels goods as she discovered the squeaky clean feeling.

“Too many of us suffer in silence from bleeding gums, and plaque build-up on teeth because we are uninformed. We are calling you to pick up your very first Systema toothbrush and feel the difference that it can make. To help you choose the right Systema toothbrush, you just need to go to www.loveatfirstbrush.com.my microsite. The microsite hosts an online toothbrush selection tool that has never been done in Malaysia before. Go ahead, and be among the one million Malaysians experiencing Love At First Brush,” Pn Nazura added.

SYSTEMA users present at the launch were equally forthcoming with praise for the brand.

“I used to think that brushing hard equalled cleaner teeth until my dentist advised me that my tooth enamel was thinning. He recommended a toothbrush that was softer and that would ease the damage on my teeth and gums. I switched over to SYSTEMA four years ago, and I haven’t looked back.” said Mr. Jack Wong, 39 draftsman from Kuala Lumpur.

“From childhood I had been using the same brand of toothbrush that my mother bought for all of us. It was too hard but that was what we had. Then I discovered about SYSTEMA, which had softer bristles. My first brush with SYSTEMA was wonderful as the smaller compact head and soft bristles were much more gentle and worked well with my narrow jaw. I’ve been using SYSTEMA for the past three years, and it’s really made me enjoy the daily tooth brushing experience!” said Ms Paige Chan, a 22-year-old college student.

The SYSTEMA ‘Love At First Brush’ consumer campaign kicked off with a road show in partnership with Watsons Malaysia, from June 6th to 12th, 2016. Present to launch the campaign were Southern Lion Sdn Bhd Deputy Managing Director, Mr. Edward Liew and Watson’s Head of Marketing, Mr. Danny Hoh.

Visitors to the seven-day road show received free oral checks by dentists using the intra-oral dental camera technology that proved to be an eye-opener as it allows individuals to see the condition of their teeth for themselves, and have better interaction with the dentists on their oral condition. At hand, there we also Systema product advisors giving advice on choosing the right Systema and the do’s and don’ts of proper oral care.