Lead Scare Brings Lab Work into Public Eye

An investigative report about lead found in restorations made in China was the talk of the industry when it aired in February 2008 on Ohio’s WBNS 10TV. The story covered an Ohio woman who experienced pain and infection in her jaw after her dentist placed an ill-fitting, three-unit PFM bridge the previous year. After learning the bridge was made in China, she had the bridge removed and tested for hazardous materials, and lead (160ppm) was found in the restoration. The TV station then ordered eight PFM crowns from four labs in China and had those tested; one of them tested positive for lead (210ppm).

The media coverage fueled objections to offshore outsourcing and breathed new life into the debate about mandatory laboratory certification and registration. The ADA eventually released the findings of its own independent testing—analyzing 44 different porcelain powders and 102 finished PFM crowns from both domestic and foreign laboratories—concluding there are naturally...