FDA Says Mercury (Amalgam) Fillings Are Safe

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DENTAL NEWS: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a regulation stating that amalgam of (a.k.a. silver) dental been that contain mercury are safe for patients, but added they are considered "moderate risk" devices. The FDA also said the fillings must now include details about the benefits of the products as well as warnings against their use in patients with mercury allergies or in poorly ventilated areas.

Specifically, the FDA recommended that amalgam dental fillings should include the following labeling:

• A warning against the use of dental amalgam in patients with mercury allergy;
• A warning that dental professionals use adequate ventilation when handling dental amalgam;
• A statement discussing the scientific evidence on the benefits and risk of dental amalgam, including the risks of inhaled mercury vapor.

"While elemental mercury has been associated with adverse health effects at high exposures, the levels released by dental amalgam fillings are not high enough to cause harm in patients," the FDA said, citing an agency review of roughly 200 scientific studies. Millions of Americans have such fillings to patch cavities in their teeth, and the FDA said it does not recommend that patients have them removed. The fillings are a combination of other metals and mercury, which at certain levels has been linked to brain and kidney damage.

Click here to visit the FDA’s official Web site on dental amalgam.


DENTAL VIEWS: A couple of months ago, the American Dental Association (a.k.a. ADA) issued a statement recommending dentists do not use mercury fillings because they had questions about their safety. Now the FDA says they are safe. I guess the final decision is ultimately up to each dental patient.