The National Association of Dental Laboratories  estimates up to 40% of dental laboratory products – including crowns, implants, bridges – are now arriving from overseas.

The trade association, with 43 affiliated state and regional commercial dental laboratory associations, created the What’s in Your Mouth?™ campaign, to provide dental patients and professionals with legislative updates and state regulations at a glance.

In a recent report by CBS Boston, Dr. David Samuels, chairman of the Board of Registration for dentistry in Massachusetts, explained there is no oversight of these products by the Food and Drug Administration.

“There are certainly concerns that the metals could have lead in them. That is not a substance you want in your body, or other, even carcinogenic materials,”  Dr. Samuels told CBS Boston.

Reporter @RyanKath also spoke with Steve Sheehan, a vice president at dental manufacturer Straumann USA in Andover, Massachusetts, regarding consumer safeguards of dental products created within the country. Although several states have consumer safeguards for dental labs in place, the rest have not followed suit.

According to Sheehan, many reputable companies have industry certifications, but he still believes government should get involved. “There needs to be a certain amount of trace-ability to the products if something goes wrong. There are issues of warranty when talk about product that fails.”

Chuck Cohen, Managing Director for the nation’s largest privately owned dental distribution company, Benco Dental, noted that Benco only purchases and resells products that come from approved manufacturers, and are packaged and approved for the U.S. market.  Benco does not purchase or resell product that is supposed to go overseas, or may be counterfeit, he added.

Read Kath’s investigative report at: https://boston.cbslocal.com/2015/11/13/i-team-unregulated-dental-products-pose-health-threat/