Newsletter
Bruce Petrie (fourth from left) addressing representatives of the UK dental press on Friday. (Photograph Annemarie Fischer)LONDON, UK: According to figures from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in London, over 12,000 individual pieces of counterfeit and unapproved dental products were seized in the UK up to April this year. At the recent BDIA Dental Showcase, the British Dental Industry Association (BDIA) announced that it will partner with major dental and general media outlets, including the BBC, to heighten awareness among dental professionals and the general public of the dangers these products can potentially pose.
In addition to a widespread advertising campaign to be run in the British dental press in 2015, an upcoming episode of Fake Britain, a consumer rights show airing on BBC One, is going to address the situation, which, according to the BDIA, increasingly poses health risks to both patients and users of the products.
While they still represent a small market share, the number of substandard devices purchased by dental professionals has steadily grown in recent years across all segments.
“We are now seeing copies and substandard versions of more complex devices, such as dental X-ray machines and handpieces, being increasingly purchased through the Internet and other sources,” Bruce Petrie from the MHRA told Dental Tribune.
In order to address the situation, the agency in partnership with the BDIA launched the Counterfeit and substandard Instruments and Devices Initiative earlier this year, which aims to make more dentists aware of the problem and to report questionable products to the relevant authorities.
BDIA Executive Director Tony Reed commented, “We are pleased with the very positive reception that our initiative has received and the next step in growing awareness amongst the dental team is the launch of our advertising campaign.”
According to the BDIA, dentists and members of the dental team should be vigilant regarding products of unknown origin and report suspect devices immediately through its website. Products manufactured by reputable suppliers such as BDIA members generally pose no concerns, the association said.
