British Dental Health Foundation Welcomes New Whitening Regulations
The British Dental Health Foundation has welcomed new regulations on whitening products, which have been introduced to protect the public.
Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of the BDHF, said that new EU regulations will protect members of the public and ensure that whitening products are in the hands of trained dentists only. Dr Carter added that the organisation had been campaigning for changes to the law surrounding whitening products for a long time.
The new EU regulations mean that products containing between 0.1 and 6 per cent hydrogen peroxide can only be sold to trained, registered dental professionals for use in their practice.
The BDHF is one of many organisations that have been calling for tighter regulation for whitening treatment. Dr Carter said that dentists have been worried about patient safety as a result of whitening treatments being available at beauty salons and kiosks. It was the belief of the BDHF and other dental organisations that tooth whitening is a dental procedure and should therefore only be carried out by trained dentists.
Dr Carter believes that new rules will enable patients to enjoy a whiter, brighter smile safely; all patients must now see a dentist before they get their teeth whitened, which enables dentists to check for potential problems before administering treatment.
Dr Carter said that he expects the General Dental Council to take appropriate action against those who continue to provide whitening treatment illegally.
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