The U.S. Army Institute of Dental Research dental materials shelf-life survey: lot request results.

In an attempt to determine the age of perishable dental materials used at any one time in U.S. Army dental care facilities, a questionnaire was distributed to each U.S. Army Dental Activity supply point. Results reveal that almost half of commonly used perishable dental restorative materials are older than the expiration date, determined by the manufacturer's shelf-life, at the time of use. Materials used in OCONUS facilities are generally several months older than materials within CONUS facilities. Supply personnel could not determine the shelf-life of perishable restorative dental materials from package information in over 25% of all entries.