Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method of demonstrating the benefits of oral hygiene. It more particularly relates to a method of demonstrating objectively the consumer response to pleasant odours provided by flavours incorporated in toothpastes and other oral care products which is shown in the present invention to excite or relax the mood as compared to malodour which has been shown to stress or sadden the mood. The present invention demonstrates this method by correlating the results as measured using physiological measurement with that perceived personally by individuals.

Background of the Invention

Oral care through use of everyday hygiene techniques like brushing of teeth at least two times a day, use of mouthwashes, regular flossing among others have now been understood by most of the consumers around the world. This has become a habit among most consumers primarily to kill bacteria present in the mouth so that the problems like gingivitis, periodontal diseases of the teeth and gums as well as tooth decay (also known as caries) leading to dental cavities can be minimized. While the problems described above could lead eventually to the need for medical / dental treatments, they are believed to be preventable by use of everyday habits of oral hygiene described above like brushing, mouthwash and flossing. One further problem that affects people with respect to oral care is that of bad breath which is also known as oral malodour or in extreme cases is known as halitiosis. Bad breath could be caused due to various reasons starting with simple reasons like eating food containing items like onion, garlic etc. It could also be due to one or more of problems like caries, gingivitis, or periodontitis in which gram negative bacteria are implicated. Gram negative bacteria are also known to produce volatile sulphurous compounds (VSC) like methyl mercaptans which are the molecules primarily implicated in oral malodour.

The present inventors were interested in studying very objectively the effect of such malodour on mood and used very many instrumental methods to measure the effect. They also wanted to see if this could be correlated with subjective self assessment of the mood as perceived by the consumers. They also conducted similar tests on various oral care regimens and to the utter surprise of the inventors they found that certain flavours used in oral care products which have a pleasant odour produce exactly the opposite physiologic effects (correlated to psychologic perception) as compared to malodour compounds.

To the knowledge of the present inventors such understanding of the effect of oral malodour and oral care flavour odours on facial blood flow and the respective mood of an individual has never been studied concomitantly such that it could be used as a method to communicate the relative effects of each. This could, in turn, be used as a tool to communicate the odour-induced emotional changes of desired flavour odours used in oral care products.

US2001037070A discloses a medical breath component analyzer which maintains a data-base profile of a patient over time. The apparatus may be used chronically by a patient so that a baseline status for that patient may be determined. Acute variations from the baseline are identified as clinically significant. The acquired data can be reported to the patient using the device at home and transmitted electronically to a physician or health care provider. Multiple tests may be provided, ranging from quantitative tests to qualitative tests to quantitative approximations using qualitative devices. A set of tests is selected for a particular patient, and may be customized to the patient's condition. One of the tests may include passing multiple laser beams of differing wavelengths through a breath sample and using pattern recognition to correlate from spectral analysis of all the laser beams.

US2016367188A discloses a developers tool kit including devices and components configured to be inserted or imbedded in an oral cavity or integrated body sensor of an animal or human. The device includes a receptacle for one or more sensors which is further configured to interface a plurality of one or more customizable functions and applications. The functions including, but not limited to, auxiliary body biosensors, data collections, alerting, tracking, reporting, communication network, preset biometric range, preventive-diagnostics to enhance health, and optimize athletic performance. The system includes technology-mining, data-mining, kinematics, integration, multi- media, reporting, and other platforms, analytics and diagnostics to accurately determine health and performance referred to as Oral Sensor Alert and Communication (OSAC). The invention provides innovative information systems, methods and diagnostic tool kits and platforms involving the aforedescribed devices from information available from oral biomarkers and other sources accessed using sensors in the oral cavity and auxiliary devices.

While the above mentioned prior art are methods to measure, track and store data on various parameters related to oral hygiene and thereby either alert using data mining the presence of a health issue or suggest ways to improve health, they do not teach or suggest odour induced emotional changes due to a malodour or a pleasant odour which can be correlated to facial blood flow and and can thus be used to communicate the emotional benefits of pleasant flavour odours.

It is thus an object of the present invention to provide for a method to demonstrate the benefits of oral hygiene and additionally the need to use oral care products having pleasant flavour odours by visually or otherwise (in an easy to understand way) indicate to the consumer the benefits of such on the mood of an individual.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method of demonstrating the benefit of oral hygiene comprising the steps of

(a) Measuring the effect of oral malodour on emotion using physiologic

measurements of facial blood flow, to prove that it stresses or saddens the mood;

(b) Measuring the effect of flavour odours in an oral care composition that is used for oral hygiene on emotion using the same measurement techniques to prove that it excites or relaxes the mood; and

(c) Communicating the stressed or saddened mood and the excited or relaxed mood to the consumer in easy to understand manner, comprising facial images, graphs or social interactions.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Any feature of one aspect of the present invention may be utilized in any other aspect of the invention. The word“comprising” is intended to mean“including” but not necessarily“consisting of’ or“composed of.” In other words, the listed steps or options need not be exhaustive. Except in the operating and comparative examples, or where otherwise explicitly indicated, all numbers in this description indicating amounts of material or conditions of reaction, physical properties of materials and/or use are to be understood as modified by the word“about”. Numerical ranges expressed in the format "from x to y" are understood to include x and y. When for a specific feature multiple preferred ranges are described in the format "from x to y", it is understood that all ranges combining the different endpoints are also contemplated.

All references to the terms wt% or % by weight shall be construed as referring to the % of the concerned ingredient by weight of the composition, unless indicated to the contrary.

In the present invention, certain odours have been shown to elicit emotional responses. These, emotional responses can be quantified using physiological measures. The present inventors have explored pleasant oral flavour odours associated with benefits on emotion (exciting/relaxing) against a bad breath malodour. They have used a non- invasive methodology, involving a laser-based video camera which continuously registers blood flow fluctuations in the facial skin. The present study establishes the effect on facial blood flow changes due to odour exposure, possibly providing an objective means to judge emotional responses to consumer products.

Exposure to certain odours, among others lavender, peppermint, rosemary, citrus, cypress and vanilla has been shown to affect emotional state. The rhythmic variations in skin blood flow are under the influence of autonomic innervations of the skin microvessels. Therefore, fluctuations in skin blood flow may also provide information about the autonomic nervous system activity in relation to odour-induced emotional changes.

This study was designed to explore whether pleasant odours can be distinguished from malodours by assessing facial blood flow signal. The facial blood flow was assessed and averaged from seven regions in the face as well as separately (forehead, eyes, cheeks, nose and philtrum).

The aim of the study was therefore to demonstrate a significant difference in facial blood flow derived thereof, using a laser-based video camera, when exposed to oral care flavour odours compared to the malodour methyl mercaptan (MM). Physiological responses were compared with results of a affect grid questionnaire, which is one of the many mood measurement tools.

The method of measuring the facial blood flow is detailed below.

The subjects were invited to an R&D test facility in the Netherlands. Upon arrival, the subject was interviewed about wellbeing and compliance to the study restrictions. The subject was seated to acclimatize for 15 minutes in a thermo-neutral (22-26°C), climate-controlled environment with dimmed light. Subsequently, the subject was asked to enter the measurement room and two electrodes of a heart rate monitor* were attached to the skin at the heart region and approximately 5 cm under the right clavicle. Then, the subject was put in semi-reclined position. The procedure was explained to the subject and he/she was asked not to talk or move during the entire procedure. The FLPI camera (with a safe class one laser) was positioned perpendicular to the face. When the setup was ready, baseline perfusion was measured for two minutes followed by one of the odour interventions, and repeated for the other odours. Spectral analysis of the flux trace in the frequency interval from 0.02 - 0.05 Hz revealed blood flow oscillations due to the neurogenic (sympathetic) activity in the blood vessel walls. This was quantified via fast Fourier analysis using Moor software (supplier FLPI).

The present inventors found that there is a statistically significant decrease in facial blood flow on exposure to pleasant odours compared to an unpleasant odour.

They have correlated the results as measured using physiological measurement with that perceived personally by individuals using the“affect grid” questionnaire, which is one of the many mood measurement tools.

The pleasant odours tested by the present inventors are those that are generally present in flavours that are included in oral care products like toothpastes,

toothpowder, mouthwashes, chewing gums etc. Such flavour molecule are those generally having an alcohol, an aldehyde, a ketone, an ester, an alkene or an ether group. The flavours included in such oral care products are preferably selected from peppermint, menthol, aniseed, eucalyptus, wintergreen or combinations thereof. The compound that is generally present and is representative of oral malodour is one having a methyl mercaptan group and so this compound was used as the model molecule in the present invention.

There are two ways in which a human being perceives an odour from a flavour concoction. It may be perceived orthonasally or retronasally. By orthonasally is meant that the odour molecule is perceived by the nose as it is sniffed from outside the body e.g from a cup. By retronasally is meant that the odour, as is present in the mouth, is perceived by the nose as the odour molecule travels backwards into the throat and up and into the nasal passage at the back of the nose from inside the human body. It is preferred that the odour molecule in the present invention is perceived orthonasally. The physiological measurements made as described above are found to be positively correlated with self assessment (“affect grid” questionnaire) by human subjects, which is described below.

Thirty volunteers took part in the study and were exposed three times to five minutes of toothpaste flavour odours (2 types of odours) and malodour (methyl mercaptan) or water (no odour) under standardised lab conditions. After the physiological

measurements, the participants rated the odours on self-report questionnaires, focusing on self-perception, intensity, familiarity and pleasantness on a scale of 1 to 9. Finally, subjects were requested to indicate feelings associated with the odours on an affect grid regarding valence and arousal on a scale of 1 to 19. Arousal scores could either indicate that subjects may feel excited/stressed or the complete opposite:

relaxed/sad.

It is important that the method of communicating the stressed and the relaxed mood to the consumer is done in an easy to understand manner comprising facial images, graphs or social interactions.

The method of communication is preferably selected from one or more of print advertisement, hoardings, television advertisements, demos at point of sale or otherwise, digital communication and/or radio communication. The method may be communicated to the consumer though print media. Print media includes

communication through a newspaper, journal, magazine, flyers, or any other paper media. The benefit may be communicated through written words, pictures, graphs, or charts where the benefit of oral hygiene through excited/relaxed mood on perceiving toothpaste flavour odour /pleasant odour as compared to oral malodour is compared. Hoardings could be indoor or outdoor where posters are strategically placed displaying information similar to that described above for print media. Television advertisement includes presenting the benefit of oral hygiene by showing a video or a still picture of a consumer displaying the respective stressed and/or relaxed mood on sniffing the respective malodour and the toothpaste flavour odour /pleasant odour of an oral care product. Similar communication could be made through other digital media through the internet on display devices like desktops, laptops, tablets or on hand held device like a mobile phone. Oral communication of the benefit afforded by the method of the invention could be done though the media of radio. Another very powerful method of communicating the method of the invention is at the point of sale of oral care products. These could be retail outlets, at malls and supermarkets, in cubicles at outdoor points where products are exhibited and benefits conveyed to the consumers. In all of the above methods of communication, visual images / videos of physiological changes in facial blood flow could be colourfully presented so that the comparative information relating to malodour and pleasant/toothpaste flavour odour could be easily understood by the consumer.

The invention will now be illustrated with the help of the following non-limiting example.

Examples

Effect of malodour and certain toothpaste flavour odours on facial blood flow and its correlation with subjective evaluation

A study was conducted with 30 subjects. The procedure used was as follows:

Upon arrival at the test facility, the subject was interviewed about wellbeing and compliance to the study restrictions. The subject was seated to acclimatize for 15 minutes in a thermo-neutral (22-26 °C), climate-controlled environment with dimmed light. The odours were presented using sniffing sticks, containing one millilitre of the respective odour fluids. The subject was asked to enter the measurement room and sniff in the following way: eg: 2 minutes of baseline, 5 minutes of placebo, 5 minutes of odour A, 2 minutes of baseline, 5 minutes of placebo, 5 minutes of odour B etc. A full field laser perfusion imager of the face was used for measuring the facial blood flow. Higher amount of blood flow was indicated on the imager with a darker red colour.

From the continuous blood flow signal (flux) the sympathetic activity was deduced through fast fourier frequency analysis where bursts of nervous activity occur about every 25 seconds.

After the above measurements, the subjects filled out a self-perception questionnaire which judged the subject on self perception, intensity, familiarity and pleasantness of the odours presented, and the mood affect grid questionnaire.

In this study, two toothpaste flavours (Flavour odour A and Flavour odour B) were used along with a sample of methyl mercaptan (representative of oral malodour). The data indicated that a statistically significant decrease in facial blood flow was observed on exposure to the pleasant odours from Flavour odour A (-4%; p<0.05) and Flavour odour B (-3%; p<0.05) compared to the unpleasant odour methyl mercaptan. The results of the self-perception questionnaires indicated that 57% score of flavour odour A was associated with a feeling of positive excitement and 60% score of Flavour odour B was associated with feelings of calmness and relaxation. In contrast to this, methyl mercaptan scored 100% negatively, exerting feelings of depression and stress. Flavour odour A and flavour odour B were judged as pleasant, cooling and refreshing.