I have recently gotten into two fairly heated debates on Dental Town and the IDF (Internet Dental Forum) on separate, but in my opinion, related topics. One is the proliferation of unlabeled generic zirconia products and the other is the huge number of off shore laboratories that are not disclosing materials or country of origin when distributing their work. In the latter case, the debate eroded to the point where I was labeled a racist and in the former I was deemed dangerous by one manufacturer.

While I am the first to admit that I can be fiercely competitive, and even protective of what I consider to be my identified niches, it’s the bigger picture that worries me more than my slice of the pie. If we turn a blind eye, or worse yet, accept or even endorse (through participation with) these activities I fear we will be walking down a road that we will wish we never trod and from which there is no return.

If responsible behavior is not exercised now, it is likely that the regulation of the dental laboratory field will become a reality. Things will become increasingly oppressive and discouraging to the type of entrepreneurs who have created and inspired a largely self regulated field.

Because the dental industry is widely viewed as the fragmented second cousin of mainstream healthcare, much of the wrongdoing goes unnoticed and unreported. I believe that implant dentistry will likely be the demarcating line, where inadequate training, inappropriate use, and price gouging will culminate in the perfect storm of failures that will bring the plaintiffs bar to the dental laboratory feeding trough and ultimately invite FDA intervention.

If the past is any indication, governmental tempering and questionable regulations and initiatives will create a regulatory environment that will become more burdensome and disheartening to the innovators who have contributed to the advancement of dental technology and very likely be the last stone to the head of the small laboratories that make up the back bone of this industry.

What can we do about it? If you outsource to an offshore laboratory, learn the rules regarding legal import of laboratory work, material disclosure and reporting country of origin. If you know someone involved in the practice, hound them until they follow the rules. If you are a domestic laboratory, work closely with your vendors, make sure the materials you use are FDA registered and CE marked. Get you laboratory certified and encourage your technicians to be certified. Join the NADL and get involved.

Finally, education, education, education. Learn as much as you can about everything your laboratory is doing, including implants, CAD/CAM technology and material science. As long as we continue to let the ground erode under our feet, we’ll have only ourselves to blame when the industry we all know and love becomes an over regulated and complicated minefield. 

About the author:Jackson is co-owner, vice president and general manager of Precision Dental Laboratory, DAMAS, in Montclair, California. He received his dental technology training in Southern California. He has lectured internationally on topics such as implant dentistry and laboratory management. Since opening Precision Dental Laboratory in 1981 the laboratory has expanded three times and employs 35 people.