IMB Position Paper: Legal Status of Tooth Whitening Products
01 January 2005
Legal Status of Tooth Whitening ProductsÂ
The issue of the classification of teeth whiteners was raised in the late nineties in Europe particularly in the United Kingdom where the UK House of Lords'', ruled that these products were not medical devices but more appropriately classified as cosmetic products. Similar court cases took place in Sweden and Germany. As there were differing views in Europe in relation to the appropriate classification of these products, the EU Commission has been trying to clarify this debate over the past few years. The EU Commission recently wrote to the Member States to remind them of this common understanding that tooth whiteners are more appropriately classified as cosmetic products and to ask them to apply the Community legislation correctly.