Dental News - Dental association raises awareness as implant industry grows

Search Dental Tribune

Dental association raises awareness as implant industry grows

According to the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, 3 million Americans have implants and that number is growing by 500,000 per year. (Photo: National Association of Dental Laboratories)

Wed. 23 September 2015

save

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., USA: The dental implant and prosthetic market in the U.S. is projected to reach $6.4 billion in 2018, according the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. More than 30 million Americans are missing all their teeth in one or both jaws and require an implant procedure. With the increasing demand for dental implants, the National Association of Dental Laboratories (NADL) created the “What’s In Your Mouth?” campaign to inform dentists about what they can do to ensure quality restorations for their patients.

When a patient goes to the dentist and receives a treatment plan for implants, he or she might assume their dentist creates his or her restorations. However, because implants and other dental restorations are typically created in dental laboratories, it is difficult for dentists to know how the implant was produced, the condition of the lab or what materials were used.

“No matter how well trained a dentist is or how clean his or her dental instruments are the patient could still suffer health complications if the implant contains grey-market materials,” said Gary Iocco, co-chair of the NADL Public Awareness Committee.

According to a 2014 NADL Materials and Equipment Survey, more than 85 percent of dental laboratories provide custom milled implant abutments for dentists. According to the U.S. International Trade Commission, nearly 38 percent of dental restoration units are made overseas by foreign dental laboratories. Additionally, domestic labs remain unregulated in more than 40 states by their respective state boards of dentistry.

As implant demand continues to rise, NADL’s “What’s In Your Mouth?” initiative suggests five ways dentists can ensure their patients are getting the quality restorations they deserve.

Information on the campaign is available online, at whatsinyourmouth.us.

The National Association of Dental Laboratories is the unified voice of the dental laboratory profession supporting dentistry and serving the public interest by promoting high standards. NADL accomplishes this by providing programs, services and networking opportunities to meet the evolving technical, educational, professional and business needs of dental laboratories.

(Source: National Association of Dental Laboratories)

 

To post a reply please login or register
advertisement
advertisement