Real stories

Making oral care easier for people with dementia

Why toothbrushing can become difficult for a person with dementia

Something as ordinary as brushing your teeth can become frightening, confusing or distressing when you are living with dementia. Changes in memory, understanding, dexterity, sensory processing or behaviour can make a familiar routine feel unfamiliar. 

A person may not understand what a toothbrush is for, dislike the sensation in their mouth or find it difficult to rinse and spit.

For family members and carers, this can mean trying to balance oral care with the person’s comfort and wellbeing. As one family member told DentaBlue founder Molly Baldini: 

If it’s the difference between cleaning his teeth and having a good day, he won’t clean his teeth.

Molly says this comment captures why more choice is needed: 

'There are times when families are having to choose between pushing an everyday routine and protecting someone’s comfort and wellbeing. We want to give them another option for those difficult moments.'

How frontline dementia work inspired DentaBlue

The idea for DentaBlue grew from Molly’s experience of working in NHS dementia services. She saw how often people struggled with toothbrushing and mouthwash, while families and professionals had few practical alternatives to try. Molly said:

'I want us to stop assuming that one approach works for everyone.' 

Something as simple as brushing your teeth can become incredibly difficult when you’re living with dementia. 

'I want people to have more options when conventional approaches aren’t working – options that protect comfort, independence and dignity.'

Rather than adding more complexity, Molly focused on a simple question: could there be another option for moments when water, rinsing or spitting are difficult?

More than 200 people helped shape DentaBlue

DentaBlue is a soft, sugar-free, chewable jelly. It offers another option when using toothpaste and a toothbrush is difficult or causes distress. 

It was not developed behind closed doors. More than 200 people living with dementia, family members and professionals contributed to its development and testing. Their experiences and feedback influenced the jelly’s texture, flavour and size, as well as its packaging and the language used to explain it. Molly said:

'For me, that’s much more meaningful than simply saying we’ve created a product for people living with dementia. We’ve tried to create it with them.'

This collaborative approach helped the team understand not only whether the idea could work, but how it needed to feel and function in everyday life. It also kept the focus on the priorities of the people the product is intended to support: comfort, choice, dignity and ease of use.

From an early idea for DentaBlue to the Alzheimer’s Society shop

DentaBlue joined the first cohort of Alzheimer’s Society’s Launchpad programme in 2025. Launchpad helps people develop promising dementia innovation ideas by understanding the problem, testing assumptions and working alongside people affected by dementia.

During the programme, the DentaBlue team used co-design, testing and feedback to develop the idea. DentaBlue later became a finalist in the National Care Forum’s Care Innovation Challenge.

In 2026, DentaBlue joined Alzheimer’s Society’s Accelerator programme. The 12-month programme provides investment and business support to help promising dementia products develop their evidence, grow and reach more people.

This journey reflects how Alzheimer’s Society supports innovation at different stages. Launchpad helps turn early ideas into tested propositions. 

The Accelerator programme helps more developed products move closer to market and meaningful real-world impact. Throughout, people affected by dementia help innovators understand the challenge and shape the response.

Why DentaBlue’s simplicity matters for people with dementia

DentaBlue’s intentionally simple design responds to practical difficulties that can make conventional oral care uncomfortable or distressing.

Molly describes the product’s 'superpower' as simplicity: 

'DentaBlue takes a problem that can feel complicated and overwhelming and offers something intentionally simple: a soft gummy that can be chewed and swallowed, with no water, rinsing or spitting required.'

Innovation is often associated with new technology, but DentaBlue shows that it can also come from looking differently at an everyday challenge. Molly said:

Sometimes innovation doesn’t need to make things more complicated. It needs to make everyday life a little easier.

DentaBlue is not a substitute for cleaning teeth or receiving professional dental care. Anyone concerned about their own oral health, or the oral health of someone they support, should speak to a dentist or healthcare professional.

What comes next for DentaBlue?

After launch, Molly and the team plan to listen to the people using DentaBlue and keep learning from their experiences. 

Over the next year, they aim to build awareness of the product, develop direct purchasing and subscription options, form new partnerships and make DentaBlue available in more places.

'The next year is really about launching, listening, learning and building from there,' Molly said.

In the longer term, the team hopes to explore whether DentaBlue could support other people who find conventional oral care routines difficult. Its development has already helped open a wider conversation about oral care, choice and the importance of designing everyday solutions with the people who will use them.

Find DentaBlue and further support

DentaBlue is available through the Alzheimer’s Society online shop. Search for 'DentaBlue' in the shop to view the product information.

For practical guidance on supporting a person with dementia to look after their teeth and mouth, read about dental and mouthcare for people affected by dementia.