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Dept of Health

Answer

Mr. Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to monitor the levels of fluoride added to toothpaste, mouthwashes and dental floss by manufacturers of dental products; and if he will make a statement; [127234] (2) what powers are available to him to require manufacturers to include the fluoride contents of (a) toothpaste, (b) mouth washes and (c) dental floss on product labels. [127233] Yvette Cooper: The Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations 1996 controls the safety of cosmetic products in the United Kingdom. Toothpaste and mouthwashes can be classified as oral hygiene products and are controlled under these regulations. Oral hygiene products containing fluoride can contain a maximum of 0.15 per cent. The product must also be marked "contains . . . fluoride". Regulations require all cosmetic products to be marked with a list of ingredients. Ingredients in concentrations of less than 1 per cent. may be listed in any order after those in concentrations of more than 1 per cent. Some toothpaste and mouthwashes containing fluoride are classified as medicinal products if claims are made for the products in accordance with the definition in section 130 of the Medicines Act 1968 and the relevant definition in Directive 65/65/EEC. Manufacturers of licensed medicines have a statutory obligation to list all the product's ingredients on the label and patient information leaflet. Active ingredients (those with therapeutic effect), including fluoride in toothpaste and mouthwashes, must be expressed in terms of their concentration. The General Product Safety Regulations 1994 apply to dental floss. Under these Regulations manufacturers must provide relevant information to enable consumers to use the product safely and to warn about hazards that are not immediately obvious. There is no evidence that these arrangements are causing public concern and we have no plans for any further monitoring of levels of fluoride added to toothpaste, mouthwashes or dental floss.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

353 c40-1W; 127234;127233

Session

1999-00

Subjects

Labelling Monitoring Fluoride Dental health Toothpaste

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk