#18

Staff is unable to estimate the number of non-dentists who provide denture services directly to consumers. It appears to be widely believed that a very large portion of denture technicians provide dentures illegally at one time or another, if only to their relatives or immediate family members. However, only a much smaller portion regularly engaged in or devote all or substantial part of their work time to illegal denture sales range from 4% to 7%.

Those who regularly engage in illegal denture sales appear to be concentrated in the cottage sector of the dental laboratory industry. They are for the most part owners or employees of one to three person laboratories which specialize in the fabrication of dentures. While some exclusively engaged in direct sales to the public, many continue to serve the dental profession. Some of these retain a small number of dentist customers to provide an apparently legitimate source of income while concentrating on serving the public directly; others primarily serve the dental profession during regular working hours and supplement their income with direct sales before and after.