Oct. 5 EU: New tooth whitening rules welcomed

From: Irish Health

The directive from the European Council regulates the use of hydrogen peroxide. Specifically, it bans the use of tooth whitening products which contain over 6% of the chemical. It also states that tooth whitening can only be carried out on a patient if the procedure is being supervised by a dentist.

Meanwhile, people under the age of 18 will not be allowed use these products at all.

Last month, the Irish Dental Association (IDA) expressed serious concern about some tooth whitening products. It claimed that many of these products ranged from ‘useless to dangerous’….It also expressed concerned about unsupervised tooth whitening and insisted that only fully-qualified dentists should be allowed to provide such services.

Under this new directive, products that contain up to 0.1% of hydrogen peroxide will still be available to consumers. However, when it comes to products that contain between 0.1% and 6% of the chemical, a dentist must carry out a full clinical examination and the first treatment. After that, patients can continue the treatment themselves.

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