More than 20,000 counterfeit toothbrush heads confiscated by customs officers in Philadelphia

Fake toothbrushes are health hazard

PHILADELPHIA – Poor packaging and questionable quality alerted U.S. Customs and Border Protection to 20,400 counterfeit Oral-B toothbrush heads in Philadelphia.

The toothbrush heads were discovered with officers examined an air cargo shipment Oct. 1.

The shipment contained 1,200 10-pack and 2,800 three-pack toothbrush heads marked with the Oral-B brand name. The shipment was seized Nov. 7 after it was determined the products were fake.

If the brushes were real, the shipment would have had a manufacturer suggested retail price of $95,600.

The shipment from China was headed to New Jersey when it was stopped.

According to officials, counterfeit toothbrush heads are manufactured in unsanitary facilities with substandard materials that may sicken users or cause bleeding to a user’s gums or mouth, and structural defects may cause the brush head to detach and potentially choke users.