Canadian consumers warned over the danger of imitation toothbrushes

Retailers and customers have been urged to demonstrate vigilance when buying toothbrushes by Health Canada. Colgate Massager, Colgate Navigator, Oral B Classic 40, Oral B Contura and Colgate 360 are amongst the brands found on the Canadian market to have been forged.

Customers that regularly use any of these toothbrushes are advised to use pictures and product descriptions to establish if they are indeed authentic. If it’s believed that the toothbrush is not genuine, then consumers are urged to cease using them instantly as the safety, quality and overall efficacy of the counterfeit product cannot be guaranteed. There is concern over stock bought from the Canadian Importer, AG Liquidation, and trade outlets are advised to check for counterfeit stock, remove suspected products from display and call Health Canada immediately on the number provided.

Poorly manufactured tooth brushes could cause consumers to potentially choke if bristles become loose and wedged in the consumers throat. This was the case found on one occasion with the Oral B Classic 40; luckily medical attention was not required. This led Health Canada to produce a public recommendation with regards the imitation Oral B Classic 40 Toothbrush: Toothbrushes Pulled from shelves due to potential choking risk on July 18^th 2008.

It has been established that these toothbrushes are indeed counterfeit, by collaboration between Health Canada, Procter and Gamble Inc. and Colgate-Palmolive Canada Inc. Consumers have been advised of some simple steps to ensure they have purchased a genuine product. Authentic Oral B toothbrushes have the Oral B logo moulded into the handle as part of the manufacturing process, as opposed to their imitation counterparts that simply have a silver peel away label. Authentic Colgate toothbrushes come in English and French Bi lingual packaging which reads “Distr. by/par: Colgate-Palmolive Canada Inc”. Additionally, a lot code can be found on the handle just below the brush head.

AG Liquidation and Health Canada have been working in unison to make sure that the imitation brushes are removed off the market. AG Liquidation ordered a recall on the following commonly available toothbrushes, labelled as Colgate 360, Colgate Navigator, Colgate Massager, Oral B Contura, and Oral B Classic 40. Health Canada has also formed an alliance with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in an attempt stop these imitation products reaching the shelves of the Canadian market.