Fake dental adhesive found in Europe

Counterfeit and potentially hazardous versions of a dental adhesive have been discovered in Germany and the Netherlands, according to regulators.

Germany's Zentralstelle der Laender fuer Gesundheitsschutz bei Arzneimitteln und Medizinprodukten (ZLG) issued a warning about fake copies of Dentsply DeTrey GmbH's Prime & Bond NT light-cure self-priming dental adhesive - used to bond composite materials in a number of dental procedures.

The company confirms that it has encountered counterfeits of Prime & Bond NT refill packages with three falsified lot numbers - 1201000309, 1511000479 and 1304000648 - being distributed by dealers both online and in the Netherlands.

"Please note that the quality of the faked Prime & Bond NT is inferior with the risk that the product will not bond or will only partly bond," it says in a notice to customers.

The company said it is prepared to check any such products that business partners are not sure about or that look suspicious.

However, it stressed that it "cannot take over any responsibility for products which are faked and manufactured by third parties under violation of our rights," adding: "The risk of inferior quality is the risk of the person distributing these illegal products."