gained confidence, they then introduced the information toother community members. However, they found that somecommunity members, especially men, rejected the informationand were sceptical about their knowledge. It is quite commonfor Nepali men to have a negative perception about the credi-bility of women. Residents in rural areas continue to associateadequate health care with a hospital building and the presenceof a medical doctor (10). The response of some of the commu-nity members discouraged the women; they reported to feelinsecure. This resulted in their decision to teach groups ofselected women with children first, which led to a positivechange. The first group of female community members trainedby the rural women reported beneficial aspects of the imple-mentation of daily oral hygiene care and the use of a properbrushing technique. The main benefit reported was a betterbreath. They also mentioned a decrease in oral pain andreduction in swelling of the gums in themselves and their chil-dren. Some of the women even reported a decrease in head-aches. These self-reported effects seemed to be a decisivefactor in convincing other community members about the posi-tive effects of oral hygiene, for which they acted as advocatesin their own villages. Stimulated by the Navjoti centre, thewomen continued to organize several oral health awarenessprogrammes in their villages.The 2006 cohort suggested an ‘ID card’ displaying that theywere trained to perform OHP activities. They stronglybelieved it would improve their credibility.The women mentioned that the price of toothpaste is 20–40Nepali RPS (0.26–0.52 US$). Some reported that fluoridetoothpaste could cost 70 Nepali RPS (0.93 US$). Theyreported that affordability of toothpaste is an issue. Sometimesthey can barely afford to buy food. Their perception is vali-dated by studies showing the price range from toothpastesmanufactured in India and Nepal ranging from 14–45 NepaliRPS (0.18–0.60 US$), while international products range from82–345 Nepali RPS (1.10–4.60 US$) (13). It is a fact that inpoorer countries (like Nepal), the affordability of productsessential to oral health indicates a necessity to make these