Counterfeit toothbrushes could pose choke risk, warns Health Canada
Sunday, March 22nd, 2009This is exactly why it is so important to buy only original toothbrushes from merchants you trust. It’s often easy to differentiate the good from the bad by taking a look at their products, as merchants of fake toothbrushes will most likely only sell one or two dental products and not have a wide selection of toothbrushes and toothbrush heads. It’s also common that these sellers only have one brand and a limited stock. Many resellers on Ebay and Amazon are (re)selling fake products and often without them even knowing it - It has been estimated that 80% of the products on Ebay that claims to be from manufacturers like Oral-B and Sonicare are fake, so be careful out there.
At MailMeDental.com we ONLY sell original products!. We only buy from P&G and Philips approved resellers.
You’ll find the statement from Health Canada below:
Health Canada is warning people to be on the lookout for counterfeit toothbrushes that could pose a choking hazard.
The falsely labelled toothbrushes include the Colgate Navigator, Colgate Massager, Colgate 360, the Oral B Classic 40 and Oral B Contura.
The agency said the brushes should be considered a choking hazard because it has had at least one report of bristles becoming dislodged and caught in a person’s throat.
Genuine Colgate toothbrushes can be identified by the packaging, labelled in English and French only, that states “Distr. by/par: Colgate-Palmolive Canada Inc,” and by a lot code moulded into the brush handle just under the brush head.
Oral B toothbrushes, made by Proctor and Gamble Inc., can be identified by the Oral B logo manufactured as part of the handle mould. Fake Oral B brushes have been known to have the logo printed in silver text on a peel-away label.
The fake brushes were sold across the country through an import firm called AG Liquidation and have been voluntarily recalled by the company.
Retailers with stock from the importer should check their products for authenticity, said Health Canada.
Customers who suspect they have a counterfeit brush should stop using the product immediately.
Any problem involving the toothbrushes can be reported to the Health Products and Food Branch Inspectorate toll-free hotline, 1-800-267-9675. Consumers requiring more information can contact Health Canada’s public inquiries line at (613) 957-2991 or toll-free at 1-866-225-0709.
