LISTERINE® Launches Oral Care Counts Initiative to Highlight the Essential Role of Oral Health in Overall Wellbeing
LISTERINE® is launching Oral Care Counts, a multiyear education and advocacy initiative designed to raise awareness of the importance of oral health as an essential component of overall health and wellbeing. Announced in connection with World Smile Day, the initiative seeks to help consumers, healthcare professionals, policymakers, advocates and community organizations better understand the global burden of oral disease and the practical steps that can support prevention.
The campaign comes as oral disease continues to affect a significant share of the global population. According to a systematic analysis published in The Lancet Public Health, cases of major oral health conditions increased by 3.07% over a four-year period. The conditions included untreated tooth decay, severe periodontitis and complete tooth loss.
Through Oral Care Counts, LISTERINE® aims to move the conversation about oral health beyond appearance and fresh breath, emphasizing the connection between a healthy mouth and broader health, comfort, confidence and quality of life. The initiative will promote practical daily habits, including brushing, flossing and, where appropriate, using an essential-oil mouthrinse as part of a three-step oral care routine.
As the #1 Dentist Recommended Mouthwash Brand in the United States, LISTERINE® is positioning the initiative around more than a century of oral health research and innovation. The brand says the campaign is based on a straightforward principle: maintaining oral health is an important part of maintaining overall health.
Oral Disease Remains a Growing Global Health Challenge
Oral disease represents a substantial and growing public health challenge worldwide. The burden encompasses conditions that can affect eating, speaking, comfort, confidence and quality of life, while access to prevention and professional care remains uneven across communities.
The systematic analysis referenced by LISTERINE® and published in The Lancet Public Health found that the number of cases involving major oral conditions increased 3.07% in four years.¹ The analysis included untreated tooth decay, severe periodontitis and total tooth loss.
Population growth and aging are among the factors contributing to the increasing number of cases globally. At the same time, specific communities face additional challenges associated with inadequate fluoride exposure, consumption of high-sugar foods and limited access to oral healthcare services.
These factors make oral health prevention a multifaceted issue. Improving outcomes requires not only access to dentists and dental hygienists, but also public health interventions, education and daily self-care practices that people can realistically incorporate into their routines.
The World Health Organization’s Global Oral Health Action Plan calls for a 10% relative reduction in the combined prevalence of major oral diseases and conditions by 2030 compared with 2019.² Achieving that goal will require coordinated action involving healthcare systems, professionals, communities, policymakers and individuals.
LISTERINE® says Oral Care Counts is intended to contribute to that broader effort by making oral health information more accessible and helping people understand practical approaches to prevention.
Connecting Oral Health With Overall Health
A central focus of Oral Care Counts is changing how people think about oral health. Rather than viewing oral care solely as a way to maintain a clean smile or fresh breath, the initiative emphasizes the mouth as an important part of the body and oral health as an essential element of overall wellbeing.
JoAnn Gurenlian, RDH, MS, PhD, AAFAAOM, FADHA, highlighted the importance of considering oral health within the broader context of health.
“Oral health doesn’t exist in isolation: it’s an essential part of overall health and wellbeing. These alarming figures underline a health challenge whose consequences extend far beyond the mouth,” Gurenlian said.
She also emphasized the importance of establishing consistent daily oral care habits.
“Brushing twice daily with fluoride toothpaste and flossing are the foundations. For people who need additional support, adding an essential-oil mouthrinse can be a straightforward 30-second third step, completing the routine with clinically demonstrated benefits beyond brushing and flossing alone,” she added.⁴–⁶
The initiative therefore places daily prevention alongside professional oral healthcare. Brushing and flossing remain foundational practices, while LISTERINE® says that, where appropriate, an essential-oil mouthrinse can serve as an additional component of a complete routine.
Making Prevention Practical for Everyday Life
One of the principal goals of Oral Care Counts is to make preventive oral care easier for people to understand and incorporate into their daily lives.
The campaign combines education, advocacy and collaboration with healthcare and community organizations. Rather than focusing solely on consumer awareness, the initiative is designed to engage multiple groups involved in oral health, including healthcare professionals, pharmacists, policymakers, community organizations, advocates and consumers.
Through webinars, training programs, educational materials and other resources, the initiative will seek to reinforce the importance of oral health while explaining the role that mouthrinse can play within a broader daily routine.
LISTERINE® plans to work with the American Dental Hygienists Association to develop webinars, training sessions and chairside guides aimed at helping healthcare professionals communicate practical oral health information to patients.
The campaign will also support healthcare professionals outside traditional dental settings. This includes pharmacists, who can play an important role in providing accessible health education and directing consumers toward preventive care.
As part of this effort, LISTERINE® is partnering with retail grocery and pharmacy chain Meijer and the National Community Pharmacists Association on a pharmacy upskilling program. The initiative is intended to help reach patients and consumers, particularly in rural communities, while providing education about the importance of preventive oral care.
Reaching Rural and Underserved Communities
Access is another important component of Oral Care Counts. Although oral disease affects populations globally, opportunities to obtain professional dental services and preventive education can vary considerably between communities.
Rural populations can face particular challenges in accessing healthcare services, including dental care. Through partnerships with organizations such as the National Rural Health Association, LISTERINE® says the campaign will work to improve access to preventive oral health information.
The initiative is also partnering with Young Minds Inspired, extending its educational focus to younger audiences and supporting efforts to strengthen oral care habits.
These partnerships reflect the campaign’s broader emphasis on making prevention practical and accessible. LISTERINE® says Oral Care Counts will be activated in the United States and other key markets globally, with a particular focus on prevention, affordability and access.
The Role of a Three-Step Oral Care Routine
A key message of the campaign is the importance of establishing a consistent daily oral care routine.
Brushing and flossing are described as essential components of that routine. LISTERINE® is also emphasizing the potential role of an essential-oil mouthrinse, where appropriate, as a third step.
According to the company, incorporating an essential-oil mouthrinse can provide clinically demonstrated additional benefits beyond brushing and flossing alone.⁵˒⁶ The brand is using this message to encourage consumers to view rinsing as part of a broader whole-mouth approach rather than as a substitute for brushing or flossing.
The emphasis on routine is particularly important because preventive care depends on behaviors that can be maintained consistently over time. Oral Care Counts is designed to translate scientific and professional information into practical guidance that consumers can understand and incorporate into everyday life.
More Than a Century of LISTERINE® Oral Health Research
The launch of Oral Care Counts builds on LISTERINE®’s more than 100-year history in oral health research and innovation.
The brand has continued to expand its portfolio in response to changing consumer preferences. Earlier this year, LISTERINE® introduced a range of intensities, followed more recently by the launch of LISTERINE® Whitening mouthwash.
The new alcohol-free and peroxide-free mouthwash is designed to fit within the brand’s three-step oral care routine of brushing, flossing and rinsing. According to the company, the product provides a superior clean, fresh breath and whitening benefits through a gentle formulation intended to strengthen teeth without sensitivity-causing ingredients.
LISTERINE® says it is trusted by more than one billion people worldwide, underscoring the scale of the brand’s consumer reach and its potential role in communicating preventive oral health messages.
The company is using that global platform to connect its product innovation with a broader educational effort focused on oral health awareness.
Collaboration Across the Oral Health Community
Oral Care Counts is structured as a multiyear initiative rather than a single awareness campaign. Its objective is to bring different parts of the oral health ecosystem together around education, prevention and access.
Healthcare professionals can provide clinical guidance and reinforce appropriate daily care practices, while pharmacists and community organizations can help extend oral health education beyond traditional dental settings. Policymakers and advocates can contribute to broader public health strategies, while consumers ultimately play an important role in maintaining daily habits.
Holly Turner, Global Vice President, LISTERINE® & BAND-AID®, said the campaign is intended to combine these different elements.
“Through Oral Care Counts, we are bringing together practical education, professional support, and achievable daily habits to help more people take control of their oral health,” Turner said.
She added that the campaign will help people understand how brushing, flossing and, where appropriate, a clinically proven essential-oil mouthrinse can work together as a complete three-step routine.
“That includes helping people understand how brushing, flossing and, where appropriate, a clinically proven essential-oil mouthrinse can work together as a complete three-step routine. World Smile Day is the right moment to start the bigger conversation and show why caring for the mouth is an important part of caring for the whole person,” Turner said.
A Broader Conversation About Preventive Health
The launch of Oral Care Counts reflects a broader effort to position oral health within conversations about preventive healthcare and overall wellbeing.
With major oral diseases continuing to affect populations around the world and case numbers increasing, prevention remains an important area of focus. The challenges are complex, ranging from access to professional services and affordability to diet, fluoride exposure, education and daily habits.
LISTERINE® says its initiative will address these challenges through a combination of professional education, community partnerships, advocacy and consumer-focused resources. By bringing together healthcare professionals, pharmacists, advocates, policymakers, organizations and consumers, the campaign aims to make oral health information easier to understand and preventive practices more achievable.
The initiative also reinforces the distinction between professional dental care and daily self-care. Routine brushing and flossing remain foundational, while an appropriate mouthrinse may provide an additional step for people seeking a more comprehensive daily routine.
As Oral Care Counts expands across the United States and other key markets, LISTERINE® plans to continue focusing on prevention, affordability and access. The campaign’s multiyear approach is intended to support sustained awareness rather than a short-term World Smile Day message.
Ultimately, the initiative seeks to reinforce a simple message: oral care is about more than maintaining a smile. A healthy mouth contributes to everyday comfort, confidence and quality of life, making oral health an important part of caring for the whole person.
More information about the initiative is available through Listerine.com/OralCareCounts.
About Oral Care Counts
Oral Care Counts is LISTERINE®’s multiyear education and advocacy initiative, developed to elevate oral health as an essential part of overall health and help more people take control of it through practical, effective daily habits, including the role of a clinically proven essential-oil mouthrinse within a complete three-step routine where appropriate.
The initiative engages healthcare professionals, advocates, policymakers, community organizations, and consumers to support evidence-based education, strengthen everyday self-care, increase understanding of the role mouthrinse can play within a complete routine, and improve access to oral health information and preventive care.
About LISTERINE®
For more than a century, LISTERINE® has advanced research and innovation to support oral health. Studies involving LISTERINE® have appeared in hundreds of peer-reviewed publications, supporting its longstanding commitment to science-backed oral care. LISTERINE® is the #1 Dentist Recommended Mouthwash Brand* in the United States and is a brand of Kenvue Brands LLC, a subsidiary of Kenvue Inc.
About World Smile Day
World Smile Day® is observed annually on the first Friday in October. It was created in 1999 by Harvey Ball, the commercial artist who designed the original smiley face in 1963, as a day dedicated to smiles, kindness and goodwill. Its enduring call to action is: “Do an act of kindness. Help one person smile.” Following Harvey Ball’s death in 2001, the Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation was established to continue his legacy and serves as the official sponsor of World Smile Day®. In 2026, World Smile Day® falls on Friday, October 2.