By Cliff Peale
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Americans who don't floss their teeth regularly - nagging from the dentist aside - are the next target for Procter & Gamble Co.

The maker of Crest toothpaste and toothbrushes will announce today it has acquired the Glide brand of dental floss, a $45 million business now owned by the makers of Gore-Tex fabrics.

P&G did not reveal a purchase price for the cash deal, which it hopes to close by late October.

"We need to figure out what the hot button is for flossing," said Michael Kehoe, president of global oral care at P&G. "Making flossing either more fun or more convenient or more easily incorporated into the regimen, that's something we'll be looking at."

Only about half of Americans claim to floss at least once a day, according to a survey from the American Dental Association. And P&G claims the number of regular flossers is even lower than that.

Glide is the No. 2 floss brand for consumers and the top brand for dentists. Its retail market share is slightly more than 20 percent, Kehoe said. It's made with the same fibers as Gore-Tex.

One of the selling points of Glide, first marketed in 1992: it doesn't shred like other dental floss.

Under the deal, W.L. Gore & Associates, a privately-held company based outside Wilmington, Del., will continue to make Glide and will work to develop new floss products.

Lali Minocha, who operates a dental practice called Smiles by Design in Symmes Township, said she uses Glide and provides it to customers.

"Once people start flossing, they usually keep doing it," she said.

"Over the years, the marketing has been more about healthy teeth," she added. "But you need healthy gums and healthy bone as well. If the marketing moved more toward that, I think people would start flossing more."

The deal fits neatly into several P&G trends. The company is moving more toward products that cost less to make and can produce higher profit margins, such as health care and beauty care items.

And it's also outsourcing more production, such as the arrangement with W.L. Gore. That allows P&G to focus on its core strengths of marketing and distribution.

E-mail cpeale@enquirer.com