Abstract

VORSTER, LR  and  NAIDOO, S. Labelling of fluoridated toothpaste in South Africa. S. Afr. dent. j. [online]. 2019, vol.74, n.2, pp.74-81. ISSN 0375-1562.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2519-0105/2019/v74no2a4.

INTRODUCTION: Product labelling is essential for education and protection of consumers and is fundamental to product quality AIM: To evaluate the labelling of commercially available fluoridated toothpastes in South Africa (SA). To determine compliance with the South African National Standard (SANS DESIGN & METHODS: A national, cross-sectional survey of 300 fluoridated toothpastes (12 brands, nine paediatric and 29 adult toothpaste types). Labels were appraised relative to a key identifier, product descriptor, country of production or distributor address, content description, batch identification, and expiry date. RESULTS: None demonstrated full compliance with SANS 1302:2008 (edition 1.1). Nearly three quarters of the labels (n=38; 71.05%) adhered to five of the six marking requirements, while the least compliant provided only product name and distributor address, neither of which has any bearing on consumer education, health benefits or product safety. SANS 1302:2008 omits labelling requirements considered mandatory by the ISO11609:2010 guideline in terms of consumer protection, but all the toothpastes displayed partial compliance with these omitted variables CONCLUSION: The quality of information provided is satisfactory due to partial compliance with the internationally accepted ISO11609:2010 framework, but there is a need for more stringent regulation and the ISO 11609:2010 framework should be adopted within SA

Keywords : Labelling; standards; compliance.

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