The packaging on the other 16 brands of fluoridated toothpaste for adults carried no such labelling, although some were found to carry endorsement logos of the Malaysian Dental Association. He said the fluoride toothpaste brands surveyed were either locally manufactured or those made in neighbouring countries for the domestic market. These, he added, included non-fluoridated toothpastes such as the herbal and homeopathic ones. In January last year, Health Minister Datuk Chua Jui Meng had announced that fluoride toothpaste makers risked a fine under the Drug Control Act if they failed to carry advisory health messages on their products. The directive came in the wake of NPC's concern that many studies over the years suggested that excessive use of fluoride could be harmful.
Dental fluorosis is a cosmetic defect resulting in stained teeth.
It is learnt that the Ministry's Drug Control Authority had, after its 90th meeting on Feb 26 last year, recommended that labels for fluoride toothpaste advise users not to swallow the toothpaste.