This Europe: Does your chewing gum lose its fluoride in Belgium overnight?

It may turn out to be one of the shortest-lived bans in history. Less than 24 hours after Belgium announced plans to take fluoride chewing gum and tablets off chemists' shelves, its health ministry was told yesterday to change its mind or face court action.

On Tuesday the Belgian health minister, Magda Aelvoet, took the pharmaceutical world by surprise by announcing an embargo on products sold over the counter and marketed as a protection against cavities.

The Belgian authorities said research shows food supplements containing fluoride could cause health problems, including osteoporosis, in people who use them to excess.

The ban, first of its kind in the EU, stops short of removing toothpaste with fluoride, but that could be in the pipeline. Belgian officials said Ms Aelvoet wants to discuss a possible EU-wide ban on fluoride in products for children.

She also plans to ban sales of gums and tablets by the end of August, although chemists can sell their existing stock.

Thorsten Münch, the EU spokesman on health and consumer protection, yesterday reminded the Belgian government of a "directive which allows producers to sell their food supplements throughout Europe".

The substances with the Belgians want to ban are, he added, on the list of those which have been approved for sale by member state governments, including Belgium, although the government in Brussels first registered its reservations about fluoride in August 2000.

Mr Münch said the new EU directive is to come into force next July. If the Belgian government persists with its ban on fluoride products it could be taken by the manufacturers to the European Court of Justice, the EU's highest court.

"It seems the Belgians will be able to ban fluoride, but only for a few months before allowing it to be on sale again," he said.

Two options remain: either the Belgian must perform a U-turn by 31 July, or convince other member states of the potential danger caused by fluoride products.

It might help if it convinced its own professionals. The head of a Belgian dentists' federation said the ban "seemed absurd" because of fluoride's record in fighting cavities.