Chinese Dental Lab Outsourcing
From Dr. DuMolin's Website
The mystery was why a 73-year-old Ohio woman fell ill. Further examination revealed it wasn’t old age, pneumonia, cancer, or anything else you might expect. She had gotten lead poisoning from her new dental bridge.
Though she had been treated by an American dentist, the bridge itself had been fabricated by a Chinese lab.
Do you know where your crown came from?
There has not yet been an authoratative assessement of the hazard that lead-containing crowns represent for adults with intact immune systems. But we feel that any level of cognitive impairment from lead toxicity is too much.
In the US, about 15-20% of dental lab work is produced in China (primarily bridges and crowns); that’s 7 million foreign crowns each year. Many of these products are distributed by American labs. Three years ago, less that 1% of UK dental restorations were produced in China; that number is now up to 5%.
Theoretically, the FDA monitors all dental products, whether produced domestically or abroad. The FDA has the authority to inspect any dental lab, foreign or domestic, that makes products sold in the US. Dental labs with overseas operations must register with the FDA. But within the US, only three states (Texas, Kentucky and South Carolina) require dental labs to register with state health departments.
Yellow Springs Dental Care
has never sent dental lab work overseas.
We do not deal with dental laboratories
that outsource dental lab work overseas.
Full Stop.
Period.
As a further protection, we require that the labs we delegate crowns and partial dentures to furnish us with Certificates of Assay Content which state the entire composition of metals used in the various metal alloys. We make this certificate a part of your permanent dental record.
Lead poisoning does not present with the drama of an automobile fire or brake failure. Indeed, it takes a long time for the damage to become noticeable. But we all know we would want to know "yesterday" if we had a lead-contaminated crown in our mouths, (or a leak in our car's brake system.)
It is time for Dentistry's first Nationwide Recall.
UPDATE:
ADA NEWS: LEAD?... NO PROBLEM.
CDC says lead levels reported in dental crown are a “highly unlikely” health risk to adults
Posted April 25, 2008
By Arlene Furlong 
When news of lead contamination in an outsourced dental crown hit the presses in late February, the ADA called on the nation's leading health agencies to address safety concerns raised by the reports. Association leaders are gratified by their responses.
The CDC explained that the level of lead reported in the crown in the media reports —approximately 200 parts per million—is "highly unlikely" to be a health risk to an adult.
"Such small amounts of lead as reported, are extremely unlikely to cause adverse health effects in adults," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told the ADA in its response. "Given the current information, CDC does not recommend that individuals defer needed oral procedures or have existing prostheses removed."
That said, the CDC noted that it recommends against the unnecessary use of lead in consumer products, including dental crowns.
"I'm relieved that the CDC sees no threat to patients based upon the trace amount of lead reported," said ADA President Mark Feldman. "We are still conducting our own test of dental prostheses and are gratified that CDC has offered to interpret any health impact of the results".
Dr. Russell
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