New Gummy Helps Dementia Patients Maintain Oral Hygiene Without Toothbrush

A chewable vitamin gummy could finally let people with dementia keep their teeth clean without ever needing to pick up a toothbrush. The new product, called Dentablue, came from Molly Baldini, a former NHS dementia service manager in Hertfordshire. She created it after watching how painful and draining oral care can be for both the patients and their carers.

Dementia often makes simple grooming tasks like brushing teeth or washing hair nearly impossible. The brain struggles to follow multi-step sequences, identify familiar tools, or coordinate physical movements. Molly saw this first hand. 'I saw it was causing so much distress for carers trying to brush a person with dementia's teeth that it got pushed aside for other priorities like nutrition and hydration,' she says. Carers felt they hadn't quite done their job when they couldn't get the brushing done. 'People with dementia were going without oral care and I was angry there was no alternative – I felt I had to create something.'

Developed through Alzheimer's Society's innovation programme, Dentablue launches at the end of the month. The peppermint-flavoured gummy can be chewed and swallowed in seconds. Users take them twice a day. They contain vitamins C and D to help maintain healthy teeth and gums, and they are sugar-free. A pack of 28 costs £16.99 a month via the company's website or Alzheimer's Society's online shop.

Natasha Howard Murray, innovation programme manager at Alzheimer's Society, called Dentablue a great example of how practical innovations can help tackle some of the everyday challenges of dementia. 'It can take around 15 minutes to support someone living with dementia to brush their teeth – a level of support that can be really difficult given staffing pressures,' she explained. For some people, tooth brushing and mouthwash become confusing or even uncomfortable. Dentablue offers another option and helps people maintain good oral health while reducing distress, as well as easing pressure on carers by freeing up time for other aspects of care.