New Requirements For Teeth Whiteners

New Zealand Cosmetic Teeth Whitening Association

Media Release July 2011

New Requirements For Teeth Whiteners

The Governments Environmental Risk Management Authority [ERMA] now known as the Environmental Protection Authority [EPA] has established for the first time clear rules around teeth whiteners containing hydrogen peroxide and their use

The Authority’s decision includes requirements for labelling of over-the-counter OTC tooth whitening products such as you would find in a Chemist, Supermarket, Beauty Salon, Spa, Gym, and the like

It also divides tooth-whitening products into three categories and places sale and use restrictions on the highest two of these categories, including requiring dentist supervision of the products posing a higher risk to public safety

Following the New Zealand Cosmetic Teeth Whitening Association's [NZCTWA] submission to the ERMA of a number clinically proven safety studies conducted by globally recognised authorities (such as the Eastman Institute for Oral Health, a recognised world leader in dental research) rebuffing what appears to be exaggerated claims of dentists groups, teeth whitening products containing less than 7 percent hydrogen peroxide will continue to be available to the public and used and sold without restriction

Products containing more than 7 percent hydrogen peroxide will be subject to some restrictions on their sale and use being:

Non-Dentist Cosmetic Teeth Whitening Practitioners may continue to use products containing 7-12 percent hydrogen peroxide

Products containing more than 12 percent hydrogen peroxide will only be able to be used under the supervision of a dentist

It should be noted that because most independent cosmetic teeth whitening practitioners of the Appearance Enhancement & Beauty industry in NZ use new safer whitening systems meaning the new ERMA safety requirements for Cosmetic Teeth Whitening Practitioners have already been voluntarily in place amongst the majority of NZCTWA members for some time

The ERMA committee also noted the express willingness of the Ministry of Health (MOH) to work with the NZCTWA to develop guidelines for Teeth Whitening; this is welcomed and the NZCTWA Executive will be asking the MOH to review its Code of Conduct & Practise, particularly the Codes provisions for training and registration of NZCTWA teeth whitening practitioners; also the Codes Health, Safety And Hygiene protocols

Finally, at the ERMA public hearing it became clear to NZCTWA representatives that the foundational issues of sensitivity, gum irritation and enamel damage raised by the DCNZ & MOH in calling for the ERMA review appear to be problems generally confined to Dentists and rarely seen by non-dentist Teeth Whitening Practitioners of the Appearance Enhancement & Beauty sector who traditionally use much safer levels of HP%

Typically Dentists use teeth whitening products that are up to 580% more caustic than those used and sold globally in more than 120 counties by non-dentist teeth whitening practitioners and vendors of the Appearance Enhancement & Beauty industry

Therefore, because the same safety issues seriously raised by the DCNZ and the MOH still exist for dentists, the NZCTWA believe that it only stands to reason that in the interest of public safety, the NZCTWA propose that the EPA review the strength of hydrogen peroxide used by dentists

The NZCTWA believes with advances in modern teeth whitening technology there is no justifiable reason for Dentists to continue to use such high risk, extremely dangerous chemicals to cosmetically whiten teeth

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