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Summary
November 2006, Vol. 5, No. 6, Pages 773-781
, DOI 10.1517/14740338.5.6.773
The safety of dental amalgam in childrenMichael D Martin1Associate Professor of Oral Medicine, University of Washington, School of Dentistry, Department of Oral Medicine, Box 356370, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. mickeym@u.washington.edu 2Research Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, School of Public Health & Community Medicine, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, 4225 Roosevelt Way NE, Suite 100, Seattle, WA 98105, USA. jwoods@u.washington.edu †  Author for correspondenceThe safety of mercury-containing dental amalgam has been hotly debated for well over a century. Dental exposures from mercury have been suggested as the cause of numerous diseases including multiple sclerosis, autism and many others. Known health effects of mercury exposure include CNS and renal damage. However, these effects have only been shown at occupational or higher levels of exposure, and have not been conclusively shown to be present at levels of mercury exposure consistent with that from dental amalgam fillings. The use of mercury amalgam fillings remains a state-of-the-art treatment for dental caries throughout the world. Although there have been a small number of peer-reviewed reports examining the health effects of dental mercury in children, only very recently have the only randomised, controlled clinical trials (two) of the safety of mercury amalgam been published. The purpose of this review is to discuss the scientific evidence on the safety of the use of mercury-containing dental amalgam as a treatment for dental caries. |
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