Change In Attitude Over Safety Of Amalgam Fillings

Thu, 19 Jun 2008

Amalgam dental fillings are a danger to people’s teeth, the world’s largest health regulator has announced.

The US-based Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has performed a dramatic u-turn by finally admitting that amalgam fillings are toxic and harmful to people’s teeth after claiming for years that they were safe.

The change of view marks the sudden end of a lawsuit that had been mounted by advocacy groups, such as Moms Against Mercury, who are seeking to ban the use of mercury in amalgam fillings and children’s vaccinations in the US .

In an official statement, posted on the FDA website, the regulator admitted that mercury-containing dental fillings "may have neuro-toxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses".

A handful of other countries have already banned the use of mercury fillings in pregnant women and it now seems that the US may follow suit, although the FDA is calling for further research to be carried out before announcing a complete ban.

In the meantime, the FDA has announced that pregnant women, and people with "a health condition that makes them more sensitive to mercury exposure" or with high levels of mercury already, should consult their dentists about safer alternatives.
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