- Dentists have warned that tooth-whitening products may cause teeth and gum sensitiveness or worsen such existing condition. Whitening pastes essentially contain slow-releasing bleaching agents such as carbamide peroxide and hydrogen peroxide.
Amidst controversy that most teeth-whitening products sold locally contained between 3% - 6% of bleaching agent such as hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide which in such concentration can result in enamel weakening, gum irritation and tooth sensitivity, the local promoter of the product has agreed to withdraw its televised advertisement on the product and said it would clarify claims which were said to be misleading to customers. In relation to the issue, the National Poison Centre at Universiti Sains Malaysia expressed its support on the government's decision to require teeth-whitening products to be registered and gazetted under the Control of Drugs and Cosmetic Regulations. It added that teeth- whiteners, especially those containing hydrogen peroxide and/or carbamide peroxide carries limited information on its safety aspects and is not supported by substantial pre-clinical and clinical data prior to their marketing. Experts have warned that unsupervised use of hydrogen peroxide may alter the normal oral flora and can cause the papillae of the tongue.