A researcher's view

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), by ensuring that the health care products used by Americans are both safe and effective, provides an essential regulatory function. With respect to the regulation of dental drug products, this researcher perceives that the FDA has not changed or modified its position on a number of issues to reflect new scientific information. Reasons for this inflexibility include the size and ponderousness of the agency, inadequate staff with dental expertise, and a failure to keep current with new dental research findings. The FDA must solve these problems if it wishes to regulate intelligently. The acceptance and certification programs of the American Dental Association ensure that products offered to the profession and the public that bear its seal of acceptance are safe and effective. The ADA's Council on Dental Therapeutics has a long history of staying current on issues in dental research and public health and regularly seeks consultation from eminently qualified experts. Overall, it has done an excellent job over the years in conducting an important voluntary regulatory program. Both the FDA and the ADA benefit and help protect the oral health of the public.