Dentists and beauticians are facing off over which should be allowed to use hydrogen peroxide to whiten teeth.
An Environmental Risk Management Authority hearing is considering a proposal by the Dental Council to limit the use of the highly-concentrated substance to dentists.
Dental Association executive officer Graham Synes says only dentists should be allowed to administer it, because it can cause chemical burns and other side-effects if proper precautions are not taken.
But the acting president of the Cosmetic Teeth Whitening Association, JJ Joshi, says the association's members are trained to do the job safely and the dentists' real aim is to monopolise the teeth whitening or bleaching market.
Mr Joshi says a better solution would be recognition of his association by the Ministry of Health so that it can regulate its members and make sure bleaching is done safely.
