A Message from the President

I am sure all of you have heard by now that lead was found in crowns. Those of you who missed our March 15th open forum with the NADL missed a great opportunity to learn first hand how this discovery may impact our industry. I am also sure that you are aware that the NADL is communicating with the FDA. The IDLA believes strongly that regulation is coming to our industry. We support all that the NADL is doing including the model bill (please email us at idla@wideopenwest.com, if you would like a copy). It is our stance that we want to be part of the process, not idle bystanders. It is up to you to educate yourself and your peers. Now more than ever your being active in the IDLA is imperative to your future. Last year we conducted a survey regarding mandated certification. The results were mixed. Given the current environment, we believe a new survey is warranted. Please use this opportunity to voice your opinion.

We are pleased to announce the new Technologist Membership Category. It will be offered to dental laboratory technicians, who meet all qualifications for regular membership except laboratory ownership, but shall neither vote nor hold office (without express permission from the owner of the laboratory in which they are employed). Look for more details shortly. We see the new NBC modularization program working hand-in-hand with this new category.

As always, I hope you are able to balance your commitment to our ever-changing industry with your personal commitments. In other words, GET OUT AND ENJOY THE SPRING!

Important Announcement

Many Dental Restoration Products Could Contain Lead

Documented Cases of Lead Contamination in Off Shore Dental Laboratory Restorations

The National Association of Dental Laboratories,(NADL) has worked with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to promote patient safety and ensure laboratories have a voice in any regulation of the industry. NADL is on record supporting regulations that assure patients their restorations are safe for use, regardless of where they are manufactured. NADL’s position has been presented consistently to the American Dental Association since 2003.

The National Association of Dental Laboratories believes that every dental patient has a reasonable expectation that the dental restoration placed in his or her mouth is safe, regardless of where it is manufactured. Therefore, in an attempt to provide the necessary documentation for disclosure as well as to document competency, the NADL strongly supports the following:

The necessity of at least one Certified Dental Technician (CDT) in each dental laboratory.
The necessity that all dental laboratories register with either the U.S. FDA or an appropriate state governmental agency.

The written documentation of all materials included in a final restoration and the point of origin (country and laboratory) where the restoration was manufactured.
The necessity that each of these items be documented in the patient’s record.

The Illinois Dental Laboratory Association supports the initiatives of the NADL.

Industry Asks FDA to Improve Regulation of Dental Restorations to Protect Patient Safety

National Association of Dental Laboratories Finds Cause for Concern in Lax Regulation of Imported and Domestic Dental-Restoration Products

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.– (BUSINESS WIRE) – The National Association of Dental Laboratories – the leading trade group for the $5.5 billion U.S. dental-restoration products industry – has formally asked the Food and Drug Administration to implement more stringent regulations governing the dental restorations affixed into the mouths of millions of Americans each year.

Dental-restoration products – the porcelain crowns, provisionals, dentures and bridges that American dental patients have permanently seated in their mouths – are under-regulated, with few legal requirements for technicians to be certified and no mandates for dentists to document or disclose the source of dental work to patients, the association asserted in a Sept. 10 letter to the Presidential Interagency Working Group on Import Safety.

Although dentists prescribe the type of device they need for a dental patient, the product is actually manufactured by a dental technician employed by a dental laboratory, which could be located in the United States or anywhere in the world. Due to the growing number of Americans seeking dental restorative treatment and the growing pressure by dentists to cut costs and increase profit margins, much of the dental work Americans carry in their mouths is now imported from countries such as China, Pakistan, the Philippines and India.

Those products are not tested or inspected for sterilization, for the long-term safety or quality of their components, or for the precision of the fit as required for proper dental care. Even for products manufactured within the United States, most domestic dental laboratories are exempt from registering with the FDA, and most typically employ just 3.5 people.

Read the full press release

IDLA News

• The NBC introduces Modularitzation
• Illinois Department of Revenue regarding a change in the SOT rate
• Is Your Dental Lab Outsourcing to Foreign Labs? Find Out

Welcome New Memebers!

• First Impressions Dental Lab, Inc.
  Nancy Franson /Todd Franson
  Schaumburg, IL

• Grange Dental Porcelain Inc.
  Geary Grange
  Libertyville, IL

• Green Dental Laboratory, Inc.
  Scott Green, CDT/Patricia Green
  Rockton, IL  61072