The move follows a meeting held at the beginning of December inviting interested parties to submit comments regarding scientific information on the 'preliminary opinion on hydrogen peroxide in tooth whitening products'. The presented scientific evidence drew attention to the fact that hydrogen peroxide has a small risk of inducing carcinogenic effects in oral cavities.
The European Commission Scientific Committee on Consumper Products (SCCP) reported that approximately half of the 24 comments it received supported the notion that tooth whitening products should only be used after consultation with a dentist.
The SCCP said that consumer and public health organisations, dentist organisations, as well as professionals in Scandinavia and Ireland supported the notion that professional consultations should take place. However the cosmetic industry and its representative organisations, as well as some individuals in the UK and United States, were reported to hold the view that the products were safe and should be freely available.
The SCCP said that comments from those with reservations about the use of tooth whitening products containing hydrogen peroxide pointed to the enhanced dangers of using such treatments in conjunction with alcohol and tobacco. However, the SCCP stressed that this only represented part of the opinion and that most of the comments came from individuals representing interests in the cosmetics industry.
The SCCP concluded that there was a need for further clinical studies into the use of tooth whitening products, combined with the further study of long-term clinical data and epidemiological studies assessing any other adverse affects.
The SCCP has already concluded that the use of tooth whitening products containing up to 0.1 per hydrogen peroxide is safe. Further to this: "The proper use of tooth whitening products containing > 0.1 to 6.0 per cent hydrogen peroxide (or equivalent for hydrogen peroxide releasing substances) is considered safe after consultation with and approval of the consumer's dentist," it said in an official statement.
The body also recommends that such tooth whitening products are not used prior to or immediately after dental restoration and that care should be taken if dental diseases are present.
The SCCP's decision not to recommend the free consumer access of tooth whitening products containing 6 per cent or more hydrogen peroxide on the market will come as a blow to many of the companies that are currently marketing whitening products in the US. There many of the leading products on the market contain more than the 6 per cent hydrogen peroxide content, making consumer launches in Europe impossible.
The tooth whitening category has grown immensely in the US in the course of the past few years. A recent survey by Information Resources Inc. of the top ten non-food and drink launches in the US last year revealed that three of the top ten products were from a range of tooth whitening products from Colgate-Palmolive, which included the top-selling Crest Tooth Whitening Strips.
However, with US formulations of this product currently containing 14 per cent hydrogen peroxide, it seems likely that the range will have to be, at the very least, reformulated with a lower hydrogen peroxide content for a successful launch in Europe.
With the tooth whitening industry now valued at $500 million a year in the US, the industry has been hoping that liberal regulations would give it a jump start in the market. In the US tooth whitening products are not classified as a drug and therefore do not come under any regulatory approval.
In Europe, industry experts are tipping the UK market as being the first to really embrace teeth whitening. The UK has so far proved to be by far the largest market for veneer treatments and whitening toothpastes, which is part of the reason why the cosmetic giants are already planning on making the UK market the launching pad for these products in Europe.