Many patients seek OTC relief for skin injuries each year. Pharmacists are in a prime position to offer self-care recommendations for minor burns, sunburn, and insect stings and bites. Oral hypersensitivity and pain relief for oral issues is often considered urgent by the one suffering from this particular discomfort. Pain from skin or oral issues can vary in intensity and pharmacists can help point patients in the right direction for OTC relief of skin or oral hypersensitivity.
First aid
Bandages................................ (n = 551)
Band-Aid................................................. 70%
Nexcare.................................................... 3%
Walgreens................................................. 2%
CVS Health................................................ 1%
Equate..................................................... 1%
Sunburn relief............................ (n = 621)
Solarcaine................................................ 13%
Banana Boat.............................................. 6%
Demoplast................................................ 5%
Alocane.................................................... 2%
Sun Bum.................................................. 2%
Burn treatment........................... (n = 468)
Neosporin................................................ 11%
Solarcaine................................................. 7%
Alocane.................................................... 5%
CVS Health................................................ 1%
Foille....................................................... 1%
Insect bite/Sting relief.................... (n = 592)
Benadryl.................................................. 15%
After Bite................................................. 13%
Cortizone 10............................................. 10%
Off.......................................................... 3%
StingEze................................................... 3%
Oral care
Toothpaste for sensitivity................. (n = 591)
Sensodyne............................................... 72%
Crest....................................................... 6%
Colgate..................................................... 6%
Sensodyne Pronamel................................... 1%
Arm & Hammer.......................................... 1%
Cold sore relief.......................... (n = 574)
Abreva.................................................... 64%
Orajel....................................................... 3%
Carmex.................................................... 2%
Herpecin-L................................................ 2%
Campho-phenique....................................... 1%
Dry mouth relief.......................... (n = 619)
Biotene................................................... 52%
XyliMelts.................................................. 3%
Therabreath............................................... 1%
ACT......................................................... 1%
Good Neighbor Pharmacy............................. 1%
Oral pain relief........................... (n = 610)
Orajel..................................................... 50%
Anbesol.................................................... 8%
Tylenol..................................................... 6%
Advil........................................................ 3%
Motrin...................................................... 2%
Sore gum relief.......................... (n = 464)
Orajel..................................................... 41%
Anbesol................................................... 12%
G.U.M...................................................... 1%
Colgate..................................................... 1%
DenTek..................................................... 1%
Denture cleaner.......................... (n = 500)
Polident.................................................. 21%
Efferdent................................................. 10%
Fixodent................................................... 2%
Colgate..................................................... 1%
CVS Health................................................ 1%
Denture adhesive........................ (n = 482)
Fixodent.................................................. 17%
Polident.................................................. 10%
Super Poligrip............................................ 9%
Sea-Bond.................................................. 4%
PreviDent.................................................. 1%
Self-care survey redux
This section of Pharmacy Today’s Self-Care Product Survey is reprinted from the full survey results published in the January 2023 issue of the magazine and available online at pharmacytoday.org.
The current survey was conducted using scientifically valid methodology and determines those nonprescription products most often recommended by pharmacists in the United States to consumers.
The winners were selected based on a survey of 1,682 pharmacists practicing in the United States who gave their unaided write-in opinions on which brands they’d recommend to patients in 86 categories. The highest share of citations as Most Trusted in the category determined the winner. If the margin of citation share between the leading brands did not exceed the estimate of sampling error at 90% statistical confidence, a tie was declared.
The n value given for each category represents the total number of responding pharmacists’ recommendations.
Please also see APhAs Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs, the definitive source of professional information about OTC products. The Handbook is available online at PharmacyLibrary.com or in print in the bookstore at www.pharmacist.com.
These data may not be used without the prior permission of APhA.