Differences in tooth whitening legalisation
The General Dental Council has campaigned for tooth whitening to be restricted to dental professionals to the UK; however, in the USA, it is a completely different story.
Earlier this year, the GDC successfully sued a practitioner for providing whitening services without registration. The organisation is campaigning to raise awareness of the potential dangers of tooth whitening when it is performed by an untrained practitioner and a leaflet has been circulated to inform members of the public.
Last year, the GDC carried out a survey, which showed that 80 percent of people believed that whitening treatments should only be provided by qualified, registered dentists.
Across the Atlantic, the rules on tooth whitening are less clear-cut; just last month, the Connecticut State Dental Commission ruled that tooth whitening was dentistry and therefore could only be performed by registered dentists. As a result of the ruling, whitening services are no longer available at shopping malls, beauty salons and spas. In New Jersey, however, the story is completely different; recently, the New Jersey Dental Association tried to prosecute a chain of tanning salons which were offering whitening treatments but a judge ruled in favour of the Beach Bum Tanning chain.
North Carolina dentists have also been campaigning for a change in regulation to prevent non-dentists from providing whitening services; however, the US Federal Trade Commission ruled that this was “anti-competitive conspiracy.”
The American Dental Association (ADA) shares the same stance as the British Dental Association; the BDA has asked the General Dental Council to take action, while the ADA has asked state dental boards to continue campaigning for a change in legislation.
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