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Is your beauty therapist legally allowed to perform teeth whitening?

26 Jun 2018

The public need to be cautious about having their teeth whitened at beauty salons, the Professional Board for Dental Assisting, Dental Therapy and Oral Hygiene has warned. Beauty salons are also advised to refrain from performing teeth whitening procedures which they have not been educated and trained to perform.

Is your beauty therapist legally allowed to perform teeth whitening?

Regulation 2 of the Regulations defining the scopes of the professions of Dentistry, Dental Therapy and Oral Hygiene stipulates that the following acts are hereby specified as acts which shall for the purpose of the application of the Act, be deemed to be acts pertaining to the professions of Dentistry, Dental Therapy and Oral Hygiene.

Section 34 of the Health Professions Act provides that no person shall practise within the Republic any profession outside the scope of which has been defined by the Minister of Health in terms of Section 33 (1).

Based on the above regulations only appropriately trained, qualified and experienced oral health care professionals who are registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) may perform teeth whitening procedures.

It is therefore, illegal and in contravention of the Health Professions Act, (Act 56 of 1974), for beauty salons or any persons who are not registered with the HPCSA as oral health care practitioners may perform teeth whitening.