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Mercury Dental Amalgams - Analyzing the Debate
Revised May 2001
Note: The information on this
website is not a substitute for
diagnosis and treatment by a qualified, licensed professional.
A CHALLENGE TO THE ADA
A lack of credible evidence? Experts on the topic would beg to disagree. The Academy, for one, issued this response in mid-1990 to the ADA's then-recent statement of confidence in amalgam: "Given the inconsistencies between the scientific facts and the American Dental Association Special Report, the (Academy) has serious concerns regarding the ADA's lack of scientific rigor and the tendency to misinform the dental profession and, thereby, the public at large regarding the established scientific facts about amalgam safety."
"We hereby call to task the ADA for failure to adequately support their position on dental amalgam with hard scientific data. This failure has resulted in inadequate protection to the public and inadequately protects the membership of the ADA from personal harm due to amalgam usage."(222)
Likewise, researchers at the University of Calgary reached this conclusion following their 1989 study of amalgam: "Our findings are at variance with the anecdotal opinion of the dental profession, which claims that amalgam fillings are safe. Experimental evidence in support of amalgam safety is at best tenuous. From our results, we conclude that dental amalgam can be a major source of chronic mercury exposure."(223)
Today, the burden of proof regarding amalgam's safety lies with those who defend its use, says Dr. Penzer. Its advocates must offer convincing support of their position, given the many studies that show a substantial danger in using mercury amalgams. "Only valid scientific evidence of safety could possibly justify the continuation of amalgam use in dental practice," he says.(224)
As the debate heats up, many scientists have questioned the continuing use of mercury amalgam or have called for an outright ban on its use. "There is no safe level of mercury at all," say" Dr. Jay Dooreck.111 Toxicity experts such as Thomas Clarkson of the University of Rochester Medical School - and Lars Friberg of the Karolinska Institute also argue against the notion of a "safe" level of mercury exposure.(225)
Dr. Huggins, for his part, says the immune suppression caused by mercury exposure "may well prove to be the most invasive disease of our time."(226) And Dr. Vimy has stated that the use of dental amalgam "should be banned immediately."(227)
For a frontier society such as the United States, however, the challenge is to rise above our history of exploiting natural resources without regard for the long-term consequences. Much like the strip mine, harmful pesticides and deforestation, mercury amalgam is a legacy to our pay-later society. But the days of indiscriminate use of our resources are long gone, and we must now establish a new ethic in tune with our new reality.