Dr. Fresh announces new foam toothpaste

BUENA PARK, Calif. — Dr. Fresh has introduced a new toothpaste designed to be squirted directly into the mouth, the company said Wednesday.

The company said Firefly Fluoride Foam Toothpaste — along with the new FireFly Ready Go Brush — is designed to take the drudgery and mess out of brushing. The light, foamy formula flushes out bacteria and gets hard-to-reach spots, which the company said would appeal to children who wear braces.

"Kids and parents have asked us for a less-mess, more effective alternative to toothpaste," Dr. Fresh chief marketing officer Geoff Carroll said. "FireFly Fluoride Foam Toothpaste provides the superior benefit of getting the hard to reach places where problems start and is less messy than regular pastes. We know kids have much more fun this way than dispensing the product onto a toothbrush."

The company cited a National Children's Oral Health Foundation study finding that pediatric dental disease was by far one of the most common chronic childhood conditions, second only to childhood obesity, affecting 44% of children in the United States before they reach kindergarten and the No. 1 reason for missed school and kids visiting the emergency room.