We asked dentist-respondents their opinions on a number of topics:

Laboratory regulation:

When asked if the Federal Government should regulate dental laboratories, 66% of the dentist-respondents say “No”; 25% of respondents have no opinion.

Job stress:

Because of the demands of daily patient interaction, working in the oral environment and ultimate accountability, 63% of dentist-respondents feel that their jobs are more stressful than that of a laboratory owner.

Improvements in the dental lab community:

Dentist-respondents note a number of changes in the industry in the past 10 years:

• 90% say that technical knowledge has improved.
• 77% say the level of business sophistication has increased.
• 70% say the level of education has heightened.
• 56% say dentist-technician communication has been enhanced.
• 52% say the quality of work has gotten better.

How much time they spend on laboratory work:

Forty-six percent of dentist-respondents spend less than one hour a week on laboratory work; 43% spend one to three hours. During this time, 37% pour their own models, 16% trim their own dies and 18% fabricate nightguards and mouthguards. A number of dentist-respondents comment that they also repair dentures and fabricate bleaching trays in their operatories.

Most common causes of poor impressions:

Although 21% of the respondents say they don’t have any problems taking impressions in their practices, those who do experience problems with their impressions say the following are the most common causes (respondents could check all that apply so percentages don’t total 100):

• Uncontrollable bleeding/moisture control—57%
• Compromised access in the mouth—45%
• Patient gagging and/or discomfort—42%
• Margins that aren’t clearly visible—33%
• A wet or dirty prep—16%
• Poorly seated trays—10%
• Insufficient time or care spent taking the impression—5%
• Poor adhesion between the tray material and the wash—5%
• Trays without sufficient rigidity—5%
• Contaminated impression material—4%
• Use of the wrong type of material—1%
• Incomplete mix of impression material—1%