Tuesday, February 07, 2012

Recall notice issued on DIY teeth whitening kits

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer, David Bradbury yesterday signed a Consumer Protection Notice ordering a company to recall two do-it-yourself teeth whitening kits to protect consumers from high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide that may cause chemical burns to a user’s mouth and gums.
The products recalled are ‘Bright White Express – Advanced Teeth Whitening Kit’ and ‘Proteethwhitening – Professional Teeth Whitening Pen’, both supplied by Pro Teeth Whitening (Aust) Pty Limited.
“These products contain the bleaching agent hydrogen peroxide in higher concentrations than the recognised safe limits as set out in the Poisons Standard 2011 and are unsafe for DIY teeth whitening,” Mr Bradbury said. Following negotiations with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, 22 teeth whitening products with unsafe levels of hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide have already been voluntarily recalled by eight other suppliers since last December.Consumers are advised to cease using these products immediately and visit the Recalls Australia for more information on returning the goods for replacement or refund.
The President of the ADA, Dr Shane Fryer, said: “The ADA has been continuously calling upon the Australian Government to take further action to protect the public from these products. Teeth whitening/bleaching is an irreversible procedure on the human teeth which therefore needs to be closely monitored to ensure no long-term damage is sustained. The use of teeth whitening procedures involving products with high levels of hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide should therefore only be used by a registered dental practitioner with education, training and competence in teeth whitening/bleaching. The ADA is pleased that the Parliamentary Secretary Bradbury is taking stronger action to ensure that these products that have unsafe concentrations of hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide are not accessible to the public, and, where appropriate, can only be used by suitably qualified professionals”.