The Connecticut State Dental Commission is considering whether teeth whitening should be classified as "dentistry," which could result in nondentists being barred from offering teeth-whitening services.
The commission held a hearing in December to review the issue and will vote May 11 on whether tooth whitening should be classified as dentistry -- a move that would mean the procedure could only be done under a dentist's supervision, according to a story by Connecticut Health I-Team.
If the panel rules that teeth whitening is dentistry, those who provide the service in shopping malls, salons, and spas could be put out of business. The commission's ruling would not affect the over-the-counter sale of whitening products.
A similar debate in North Carolina has put the state dental board there in legal hot water. When the North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners moved to prohibit nondentists from performing teeth whitening, the board was sued by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which alleges that the dental board violated antitrust laws by limiting competition for whitening customers. Hearings in that case are still under way.
As in North Carolina, the Connecticut State Dental Commission is predominately made up of dentists, Connecticut Health I-Team noted.
