Relates to dental laboratories

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Lea Webb says this is needed

The dental laboratory industry produces and provides dentures, crowns, bridges, orthodontic appliances and other dental restorations for thou- sands of New Yorkers each year. These important products and services are integral to the improvement of patient health and the quality of life for New Yorkers, every day. While New Yorkers and their dentists assume the quality of these products and their constituent materials are safe to use, there are few statutory protections in place to ensure they are, in fact, manufactured in a safe environment and use quality materi- als. Currently, there is no requirement that a dental laboratory inform the dentist of the Materials used in a restoration or the point of origin of manufacture. Because poorly made dental restorations can lead to a range of health consequences for patients, and negative treatment and profes- sional outcomes for their dentists, it is critical that there be greater oversight and accountability and that dentists receive the information they need to ensure the standard of care for their patients. Moreover, growing demand for dental work in the United States has helped create a robust market for both high-end as well as more economically priced dental restoration products. Recent surveys have shown that nationwide approximately 25 percent of domestic dental laboratory sales, and 38 percent of dental restorations are manufactured overseas, evidenced by the fact that there are foreign dental laboratories from 42 countries currently registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Adminis- tration. While the global market to provide these services and products has expanded, awareness of the sourcing of dental restorations and their component materials has not kept pace with the rate of change. The abil- ity to have a full understanding and confidence in the origin of dental restoration materials is therefore vital to patients and dentists in ensuring better health outcomes and safer restorations. This legislation promotes modest, yet important, measures to improve public health and consumer safety. By providing for improved product transparency practitioners, establishing reasonable registration stand- ards and accountability for dental laboratories and their products, this legislation will ensure that dentists receive the information needed to strengthen patient and health provider confidence and improve health outcomes. FISCAL IMPACT ON THE STATE: None.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.