Group provides data on dental products

CHICAGO, May 31 (UPI) -- The Seal of Acceptance area on the American Dental Association Web site provides U.S. consumers with information on about 300 dental products, officials say.

Dr. Ada Cooper, an ADA spokeswoman and a practicing dentist in New York, says the Web site area will allow consumers and dentists to review detailed information on all ADA-accepted products by product name, category or manufacturer.

For example, a visitor may want to search for fluoride toothpastes that also reduce gingivitis and tooth sensitivity, so one could click "toothpaste," and select those properties from the drop-down menu that state all of the ADA Seal toothpastes that fit those criteria.

"The ADA designed the new ADA Seal of Acceptance Web area to provide information that will be helpful to the public in selecting dental products and to dentists when discussing products with their patients," Cooper says in a statement.

The ADA Seal of Acceptance program first awarded the ADA Seal in 1931. Although participation in the program is voluntary on the part of oral care companies, more than 300 dental products sold to consumers -- including toothpaste, dental floss, toothbrushes and mouth rinse -- carry the ADA Seal today, Cooper says.