ADA concerned about lead in dental crowns and prostheses

"The American Dental Association (ADA) has begun a "larger-scale investigation into the safety of both foreign and domestically produced dental crowns and other dental prostheses." (Source: "Lead might be lurking in dental work," Columbus Dispatch, Feb. 28, 2008.) The ADA became concerned after WBNS Channel 10 in Columbus worked with a local dentist to order "eight supposedly identical dental crowns from four labs in China, the source of a growing number of dental implants used by U.S. dentists. The labs are regular advertisers in industry publications distributed in the United States. A certified testing facility in Cleveland found that the porcelain veneer of one of the crowns contained lead -- 210 parts per million."

As a result of the investigation, the ADA warned its members about the lead found in the crown and contacted federal authorities, including the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The ADA also began its own investigation. Dr. Marcel Casavant, chief of pharmacology and toxicology at Nationwide Children's Hospital and medical director of the Central Ohio Poison Center, said the lead-tainted crown signals a potential health threat. "I guess that tells me I need to be a little bit more concerned about other potential sources of lead," Casavant said, "and I never would have guessed somebody would have put lead into a piece or a part installed into a human being.