Dental Laboratories Registration

House Bill 1177 (Chapter 68, Laws of 2019) was passed last year, establishing a new registration for dental laboratories wishing to do business in Washington state. The department and stakeholders have been writing rules for the new facilities, clarifying credentialing requirements and setting expectations for the new registration.

All dental laboratories operating or doing business in Washington will be required to have a dental laboratory registration by Jan. 31, 2021. This requirement does not apply to dental laboratories under the supervision of a practicing dentist licensed under Chapter 18.32 RCW, as long as the dental laboratory is not performing services that originated outside of the supervising dentist’s office. This requirement also does not apply to educational institutions or activities authorized under chapter 18.30 RCW (Denturists).

This legislation requires dental laboratories to provide the prescribing dentist with a lot more information about the materials used in the finished dental product. Dental labs will need to provide the name, physical address, and registration number of the laboratory that received the work order. They must also provide the city, state, and country of origin where the technological work was performed. The prescribing dentist must be provided dental prosthesis material content information, and confirmation whether USDA-compliant materials were used. All of this information must be delivered in writing, so that it can be easily added to the patient record.

If you would like to be kept up-to-date on the new registration, please add Dental Laboratories to your GovDelivery email list. Please email Bruce Bronoske, Jr., Dental Laboratories Program Manager, at bruce.bronoske@doh.wa.gov with any questions.