IDA appeals to Minister Reilly over bleaching

The Irish Dental Association (IDA) has called on Minister for Health, James Reilly, to support European Commission plans to regulate the use of hydrogen peroxide.

Tom Feeney, IDA representative on the Council of European Dentists, and a Dublin-based dentist, believes regulation of the sector is long overdue and said the new measures would safeguard patient safety which is the number one priority.



He commented: ‘Dentists are fully qualified to carry out a full oral examination, make a diagnosis on the basis of that examination and the patient’s full dental history, and then decide if the use of a tooth whitening product is appropriate.

‘Other people practising tooth whitening do not have the ability to do that and the use of tooth bleaching products may be totally inappropriate and may cause serious problems.

‘There are also issues to do with infection control, the safe disposal of contaminated waste and indemnity insurance issues so we hope the Minister for Health, Dr James Reilly, will fully support this measure.’