The Platform for Better Oral Health in Europe would like to extend its thanks to the oral health community for having come together in raising the public health concerns of a potential ban of synthetic amorphous silica (SAS), which was being discussed at a meeting of the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) on Thursday 11 March 2021.

The Platform, alongside the broader oral community sought to underline the (unintended) public health consequences of imposing such a ban without better understanding the implications, notably on the impact of the availability and affordability of fluoride toothpaste, an essential health product,  and had called on the relevant decisionmakers to ‘stop the clock’ and adapt the process to allow oral health stakeholders a realistic timeframe to provide input.

We commend the Committee for having decided on a clear timeline for SAS manufacturers to provide additional data on the safety of this ingredient. The Platform remains committed to providing an oral health perspective to EU decisionmakers to inform future discussions about the public health aspects related to the potential restrictions on the use of silica.

This action aligns with a key priority of the Platform for Better Oral Health which is to encourage evidence-based best practices for oral health promotion, such as through tooth brushing with fluoride toothpaste as an effective routine oral hygiene practice.