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State Senate Commends Mississippi Dentists and Laboratories
for Donated Dental Services
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2008
By: Senator(s) Hewes, Gollott, Dearing, Frazier, Lee (35th), Watson To: Rules
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 541
1 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING MISSISSIPPI DENTISTS AND
2 DENTAL LABORATORIES FOR VOLUNTEERING AND SUPPORTING DONATED DENTAL
3 SERVICES AND ORAL HEALTH CARE TO MISSISSIPPI'S MOST VULNERABLE AND
4 NEEDY ADULT CITIZENS.
5 WHEREAS, Donated Dental Services is a direct care service
6 program of the National Foundation of Dentistry for the
7 Handicapped that was introduced in our state in 1995 by the
8 Mississippi Dental Association and funded by the Mississippi
9 Division of Medicaid; and
10 WHEREAS, Donated Dental Services connects dentists and dental
11 laboratories that donate treatment and dental lab work to
12 Mississippi's most vulnerable individuals who are elderly and
13 disabled citizens that do not have the financial means to obtain
14 much needed dental treatment; and
15 WHEREAS, of this date, these volunteers have donated over Two
16 Million Dollars in dental treatment, thus making a difference in
17 the lives of over 1,200 elderly or disabled Mississippians who had
18 nowhere else to turn for dental treatment, and these individuals
19 were restored to a status of oral health thereby enabling them to
20 maintain and improve their overall health status; and
21 WHEREAS, It is the policy of the Mississippi Senate to
22 recognize and commend the work of those who seek to make a
23 difference in the lives of those in their respective communities:
24 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF
25 MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That
26 we do hereby commend Donated Dental Services, the Mississippi
27 Dental Association dentist member volunteers, the Mississippi
28 dental laboratory volunteers, and the Mississippi Division of
29 Medicaid for this significant milestone of over Two Million
30 Dollars in donated dental treatment over the past few years and
31 express our warmest wishes for continued success in the future.
32 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be
33 furnished to the National Foundation of Dentistry for the
34 Handicapped - Donated Dental Services Program, Mississippi Dental
35 Association, Mississippi Dental Laboratory Association, and the
36 Mississippi Division of Medicaid and to the members of the Capitol
37 Press Corps.
S. C. R. No. 541 *SS01/R777*
08/SS01/R777
ST: Commend Mississippi dentists and
laboratories for donated dental services.
NADL Launches Website for the Public
Mar. 10, 2008
The past week has been busy for us on a national level and for some of you as well, fielding phone calls and e-mails from clients, and the media. We wanted to take a moment to let you know what NADL is doing and what resources are available to our members and to dental patients.
NADL has a platform, established back in 2003, for advocating for material content disclosure, point of origin disclosure, laboratory registration and of course, technician certification. Although we could not anticipate the case that arose in Ohio, we did consider the possibility since we have an unregulated domestic industry and a global marketplace.
We will continue to advocate our firm belief that the first steps to ensuring patient safety is to require that every laboratory have at least one CDT; that the laboratory be registered with the appropriate governmental agency; and that the materials and point of origin be disclosed and stored in the patient's record.
NADL member laboratories can obtain continuously updated information from our website at www.nadl.org, under the Member's Only section. In this section we are continually updating a page with videos and newspaper coverage of this issue. We have also provided support documentation for laboratories that might be preparing for media interviews or preparing answers for their dentist clients.
Additionally, this week NADL launched a website for the public. This site is a resource for people who may have questions regarding their dental restorations, and has information from many sources. www.whatsinmymouth.us.
This is a time to demonstrate the commitment that laboratories have always had to dentistry.
Sincerely,
NADL Board of Directors and Executive Staff
325 John Knox Road, L103
Tallahassee, FL 32303
800/950-1150 Phone
www.nadl.org
Documented Cases of Lead Contamination in
Off Shore Dental Laboratory Restorations
Feb. 26, 2008
Recently, NADL was contacted by a dental patient in Ohio who has documentation of lead contamination in her dental restoration. The affected patient, a senior citizen, received a three-unit dental bridge from a dentist in Ohio. After having an adverse reaction to her dental work, and having it removed, the dentist disclosed that the prescription was sent to an offshore dental laboratory and disclosed to the patient that the restoration was made in China. The patient then had the restoration sent to a chemical laboratory for analysis. The documentation of the dental material analysis of this patient�s restoration showed unsafe levels of lead in the porcelain on the restoration.
This case has attracted the attention of an Ohio television reporter who was already working on a story about offshore dental laboratory work. As part of the reporter's investigative research for the story, the TV station ordered a series of crowns from several offshore dental laboratories. One of those restorations contained 210 parts per million of lead in the materials. The U.S. Congress, in response to the toy recalls in 2007, lowered the acceptable levels of lead in toys to 90 parts per million.
The testing of these restorations for the reporter's investigation was conducted by a chemical research laboratory in Ohio and, at the suggestion of NADL, at the Boston University School of Dental Medicine. In addition to the documentation of lead, the chemical analysis revealed the restoration contains traces of radioactive isotopes.
The reporter contacted NADL and interviewed co-executive director, Bennett Napier, CAE, for this story. Others interviewed include the attorney for the patient in Ohio; a lead expert; a spokesperson from the Ohio Dental Board, a Columbus dentist and laboratory owners from central Ohio. The TV report contains position statements or quotes from the American Dental Association and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
WBNS 10 TV in Columbus, Ohio, will broadcast this story Wednesday. You can view the full investigative report Wednesday evening at the station�s Web site www.10tv.com. The owners of the regional television station also own the Columbus Dispatch, the local daily newspaper. An article about the story will be run in that paper's Thursday, February 28th edition.
It is likely that with the significance of this story it may be picked up by other media outlets in large metropolitan areas by the end of this week and possibly may be picked by national news media outlets as well.
NADL's Position:
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:
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*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. Food and Drug Administration 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.
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Additional Information:
NADL informed the American Dental Association's executive leadership so they could tell their members about this pending story and possible outcomes including the public's response.
The ADA will be sending out an alert to its members this week sharing guidance about what questions to ask dental laboratories relative to outsourcing activity and statements of assurance on material content of dental restorations. NADL member's laboratories should be prepared for such requests.
Additionally, it is expected that state dental societies will be discussing possible regulatory options to address this issue at the state level in state dental practice acts. State dental societies may be contacting your state's dental laboratory association about possible collaborative efforts or to seek additional information. NADL members are encouraged to share NADL's model bill for state regulation with state dental societies or inquiring dental clients that may request a template for state regulation. Members of the laboratory industry may download this document from NADL's Web page at www.nadl.org.
Dental laboratories should be prepared for increased calls from your dental clients and possibly local media outlets during the next few weeks as this news story circulates the country. NADL will be providing up-to-date guidance documents to our members on the member section of our Web site www.nadl.org to assist you when answering questions. We are committed to keeping our members well informed and prepared.
Sincerely,
NADL Board of Directors and Executive Staff
325 John Knox Road, L103
Tallahassee, FL 32303
800/950-1150 Phone
www.nadl.org
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Winter Conference
Highlights of the 2008 meeting
(photos and program)
Highlights of the 2009 meeting
(photos and program)
Summer Conference
Fun 'n Sun Weekend
2010 Meeting Information: August 5-8, 2010
Highlights of the 2008 meeting
(photos)
Highlights of the 2009 meeting
(photos)
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