First Two States Win Fight for Disclosure

On the heels of widespread media attention about offshore crowns containing lead, two bills that required laboratories to spell out the origin and content of dental restorations passed in 2008: one in Florida and one in South Carolina. Although both bills only required the lab to provide the information to the dentist—and not for the dentist to pass the information onto the patient—supporters felt it was a step in the right direction because the information would be placed in the patient’s file and would provide a mechanism for traceability.

Illinois, Ohio and Minnesota have also passed disclosure laws; similar legislation is pending in Virginia and Kentucky, and efforts are also being made in New Mexico, Colorado and California. Although it’s not a law in Missouri, disclosure is a “best practice” requested by the state dental association. To date, there are no laws requiring...