Colgate–IDA National Beautiful Smile Contest 2002 winners declared

Company press release, January 17, 2003

Mumbai

The 4th National Beautiful Smile Contest - the culminating event of Bright Smiles Bright Futures - a program founded and promoted by the Indian Dental Association (IDA) and Colgate-Palmolive as an innovative method of oral care education, concluded among much fanfare. Under this programme, over 45 lakh children throughout the country have been covered and educated in various aspects of oral hygiene.

Thirty finalists from across India were brought to Mumbai to compete for the

Finals of the 4th National Beautiful Smile Contest. Ms. Esha Deol, noted

film actress distributed the prizes to the winners. The first prize, which

included a scholarship right upto graduation was presented to Vinisha

Mascarenhas, Goa for the 6-10 age group and Darshan Doshi, Rajkot for the

11-15 age group. First runner-ups were Zarine Khan, Indore and Reshma John,

Ernakulam respectively, while second runner-ups were Rushika Banerjee,

Nagpur and Amrinder Singh Brar, Ludhiana respectively. All winners received

Cash awards, certificates, trophies and Colgate gift hampers.

Announcing the results of the Colgate-IDA 'National Beautiful Smile Contest'

, Dr. C Krishnarjuna Rao, President, IDA, said, "With 90% of the Indian

population suffering from dental diseases, prevention is the most effective

long-term solution. Prevention can only happen when people understand the

consequences of bad oral health and know what to do, to prevent oral

diseases. The Colgate-IDA National Beautiful Smile Contest has been a

special success story, spreading the message of better oral health and

hygiene through 120 towns and cities across India and we are extremely

enthused by the response."

The 'National Beautiful Smile Contest' Final was hosted by popular VJ Yudi

guiding the audience and participants through a series of rounds of

competition and exciting fillers. The Maharashtra State contest was followed

by the National finals. The audience was treated to a kaleidoscope of

entertainment ranging from jugglery, dance performances by children and

mimicry. The finalists were judged by Dr. (Mrs.) Chitnis, Dr. (Mrs.) Sabita

Ram and Dr. (Mr.) Chandranee.

About the Bright Smiles Bright Futures Programme

· The Bright Smiles Bright Futures programme has four integrated elements:

School Dental Health Education

· Teachers' Training Programme

· Parents' Orientation Programme

· Country-wide Oral Health Week

Through 120 branches of the IDA, the time and skills of dentist members were

volunteered to educate school children about the basic rules of good oral

hygiene practices such as proper brushing techniques and good eating habits.

To sustain the message, trained dental surgeons from IDA also conducted

special Teachers' Training Programmes, training 15,000 teachers on oral

healthcare through this programme. Colgate provided logistic support

including teaching aids and education materials as well as special dental

health kits.

A key element of the programme is the 'Oral Health Week' that was conducted

for both the general public as well as school children in 85 towns in

October 2002. The 'Oral Health Week' included free dental check-ups, dental

health exhibitions, audio-visuals, brushing demonstrations as well as

contests for children like the Beautiful Smile Contest, Collage

Competitions, Painting Competitions and Elocution Contests.

About the Indian Dental Association

The Indian Dental Association (IDA), formed in 1946 is the largest

recognised body of dental professionals in India, which has helped shape the

National Oral Health Policy. Working towards the promotion, encouragement

and advancement of dental and allied sciences the IDA has 137 local branches

spread across India. Through its Council on Dental Health, the IDA has been

active over the years in promoting oral health education and better oral

hygiene standards amongst the public, particularly school children. Since

1976, it has been supported in these efforts by Colgate-Palmolive (India)

Limited, the world leader in oral care. Through their combined efforts, both

IDA and Colgate have reached more than 260 lakh (26 million) school children

covering around 50,000 schools in around 120 towns across the country.

About Colgate-Palmolive (India)

Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited is Indias leading provider of consumer

products sold under nationally recognised brand names as Colgate

(scientifically proven, 100% vegetarian oral care products that have become

an essential part of daily oral hygiene and therapeutic oral care),

Palmolive (personal hygiene and skin care products) and Axion (household

care). Colgate has been ranked Indias # 1 brand across all categories for

eight out of nine years (1992 - 2001) by the A&M-MODE annual survey of

Indias Top Brands. For more information about Colgate in India, visit the

Companys web site at www.colgate.co.in.

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Media Contact:

Sachin Talwar

R&P

Tel: (022) 2281 0168 - 72 Fax: (022) 2281 0151

e-mail: sachin.talwar@rnpmc.com

Shreeya Roy

Client Executive

R&P Management Communications Pvt. Ltd.

(Formerly B-MRP Communications Pvt. Ltd.)

B-189, Greater Kailash-1, New Delhi 110 048, India

Tel: +91 11 644 3381~86 Fax: +91 11 621 5026

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