Clarity over tooth bleaching ‘looks positive’

Chief dental officer Barry Cockcroft promised dentists a ‘positive step’ towards clearing up the confusion over tooth whitening today (Friday) at a presentation held by the British Dental Bleaching Society (BDBS).

The BDBS staged a bleaching symposium to kick off a two-day World Aesthetic Congress which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

Dentists have been urgently calling on the government to clear up the confusion over tooth whitening products.

And yesterday (Thursday) CDO Barry Cockcroft met with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and went some way towards resolving the concerns about the position trading standards officers are adopting in relation to tooth whitening products.

Dentists claimed that the Essex investigation by trading standards officers, which took place last month, was having a major impact on the availability of hydrogen peroxide-based whitening products to dentists  – a supply problem that the BDA said could lead to patients seeking ‘illegal and dangerous’ whitening treatments elsewhere.

Mr Cockcroft told delegates at WAC that a proposed amendment on tooth bleaching would be going from the Commission to the EU Parliament and that this was a positive step.

Also addressing the crowd at the symposium was Mike Volk, sales and marketing manager at Dental Directory, the company affected by the recent trading standards stance.

The company had been stopped selling tooth whitening kits by local trading standards officers at Essex County Council following a patient’s complaint regarding the product.

He told dentists that he had now received a ‘definitive, unambiguous statement from trading standards officers that the company could now continue selling the product for professional GDC registrants and for chairside use only.

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