DIY tooth whitening products

Phillip Alan Palfrey, from Llandrindod Wells in Wales, pleaded guilty to three charges for selling unsafe teeth whitening products on eBay. He was ordered to pay a fine and costs, amounting to £4073, following the prosecution by the Trading Standards arm of Powys County Council.

The legal limit for hydrogen peroxide in teeth whitening kits, which the public can administer to themselves at home, is 0.1 per cent. However, the teeth whitening gel being sold by Mr Palfrey contained 5.88 per cent of hydrogen peroxide – 58.8 times the legal limit. Some other products being sold on the online auction website by Mr Palfrey contained 5.67 per cent of the chemical.

Shaun Round, interim head of illegal practice at the General Dental Council, said, “The General Dental Council’s primary purpose is to protect patients and to maintain public confidence in dental services – one of the ways we do this is by prosecuting people carrying out dentistry illegally. We also work closely with other organisations, such as Trading Standards, who prosecute people who sell unsafe products – the latter is what Mr Palfrey has been convicted of doing.