Calls for dental regulation tightening

Britain’s dental authorities should tighten regulations now, an expert has asserted.

Lab technician Tony Griffin made his comments to online resource Dentistry.co.uk, highlighting that cheap dental appliances being brought into the UK should raise concerns over whether or not standards are being met.

He expressed fears that overseas laboratory equipment could be made using harmful materials, following the revelation that some non-EU children’s toys had been made using paint tainted with lead.

Britain should not wait until it is discovered that many patients have faulty appliances, Mr Griffin continued.

“It is surely a dangerous option, leaving patients wondering if they are walking around with a time bomb of toxic materials within their mouths,” he added.

Mr Griffin is an authoritative figure, having recently been awarded the Dental Technologists Association Award for his “outstanding contribution to dental technology”.

In the past he has been the association’s president and chairman of the Dental Technicians Education and Training Advisory Board.