What Are the Top Reasons Why I Should Become a DAMAS Laboratory?

There are so many reasons why a dental laboratory should become DAMAS certified that it is difficult to select the top three, however in my opinion three very important reasons are listed below.

1. The first or top reason in my opinion is to introduce a system which has proven time and again to bring economic benefit to the labs that adopt it.

DAMAS was developed by laboratory owners and technicians specifically for dental laboratories. It focuses on the really pertinent issues within each laboratory with the intention of bringing savings in all areas including manufacturing time, use of materials, basic systems and, as result, dollars.

It has been proven so many times that laboratories certified to the DAMAS system benefit from economic savings, this has been shown to be true of laboratories of all sizes within the USA, Canada, the UK and Europe. In many cases the resulting cost savings are very significant.

In the UK, DAMAS certified laboratories have been able to obtain a 30 percent reduction in their insurance premiums.  In the USA, a laboratory in California has reported in the JDT that savings of $300 to $500 per month are being made since the introduction of DAMAS.

2. The second reason is that, because DAMAS certification is issued by an international certification authority, your professionalism, commitment to excellence and quality of work is proven for all to see.

At the time of certification the laboratory is presented with a DAMAS certificate and is able to display the DAMAS logo on all paperwork that the certification process is undertaken by an international certification authority. 

Confidence in the laboratory, the quality of work and the relationship with the laboratory are perhaps the most important aspects in the dentist's mind at the time of placing his work. Of course cost is also one of his considerations.

If he knows that, his concerns or complaints are handled in a professional caring and efficient manner and that the quality of work is of paramount importance to all involved he is far more likely to select that laboratory. All of these are proven to him by the DAMAS certification.

3. The third reason must be the fact that DAMAS meets the obligatory requirements of the FDA's GMP regulations for dental laboratories.  This regulation means that all laboratories must be able to show that they have systems with written procedures covering the relevant sections of the FDA's GMP specification CFR Part 820.

DAMAS satisfies the FDA's GMP requirement in the least painful most efficient way by identifying the relevant sections,  including them within the system and also presenting them in the required format

Systems other than DAMAS can satisfy the FDA's GMP requirement but DAMAS is the only industry produced system that can be certified by an independent international certification authority.  ISO:9001 can be certified but is a system produced to cover all types of industry and businesses, it is very dictatorial, requires a great deal of time to maintain and is far more expensive.

DAMAS does not tell you how to run your laboratory or how to manufacture the product, it does lead to financial benefits.