Philly CBP seizes more than 20,000 fake Oral-B products

US customs have seized 20,400 potentially hazardous fake Oral-B electric toothbrush heads en route from China to an address in New Jersey.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Philadelphia detained an air cargo shipment in October on suspicion the contents were counterfeit, due to poor packaging and questionable quality.

The shipment contained 1,200 10-pack and 2,800 3-pack toothbrush heads marked with the Oral-B brand name. An investigation subsequently determined that the products were counterfeit. The products, if authentic, would have a manufacturer suggested retail price of $95,600.

CBP said the counterfeit toothbrush “heads pose a serious health threat to consumers” as they may be “manufactured in unsanitary facilities with substandard materials that may sicken users or cause bleeding to a user’s gums or mouth.

Structural defects may also cause the brush head to detach from the electric toothbrush and pose a choking hazard, it added.