Tests: Some Dental Work May Contain Lead
POSTED: 10:02 am MST September 23,
2008
UPDATED: 4:27 pm MST September 23,
2008
PHOENIX -- Some Valley dental offices are outsourcing their dental work, and some of the crowns and bridges made in other countries have tested positive for lead, investigations show.CBS investigative reporters in Columbus, Ohio, purchased 13 crowns from labs in China, Thailand and the U.S. Ten of those crowns tested positive for lead at levels ranging from 110 parts per million to 240 parts per million.The American Dental Association is also conducting a study to see if lead from foreign dental work "leeches" out.The FDA has not established a limit for the amount of lead in dental work.Most know that lead exposure can harm children, but it can also poison adults through long-term exposure.DW Dental Lab owner David Wessel said he thinks the lead in the crowns the reporters tested came from the surface stain used to whiten the teeth."That's probably worse," he said. "It's on the surface. It's against your tongue and cheeks, and your mouth absorbs…everything into your bloodstream."Wessel and his technicians have been sculpting teeth for 33 years, and though he said he has seen quality work out of China, he expressed reservations about the outsourcing trend."The problem is you don't know what you're getting," he said. "You don't know what they're putting in your mouth. No matter what they tell you there's no way to prove it unless you can break it down and analyze it and tell you what it's made of."At least eight Valley dental labs are outsourcing their work. The owner of one of the labs, who asked to remain anonymous, told 5 Investigates he makes five trips to China each year to personally investigate the labs and suppliers he contracts with.He said the work he has seen is excellent.Nevertheless, there is almost no regulation on these labs, whether they are in the U.S. or in another country.
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