UP experts: Studies prove mercury amalgam fillings safe

MANILA, Philippines - The University of the Philippines College of Dentistry (UPCD) yesterday belied a study that mercury amalgam filling is hazardous to health, saying there are several studies that prove otherwise.

According to UPCD Dean Vicente Medina III, there are various scientific studies that could prove that mercury amalgam fillings – commonly known as pasta – should not be banned in the Philippines.

“Dental amalgam or silver fillings have been used by the dental profession for more than a decade now. The question whether it is a health risk has been regularly researched on and scrutinized by experts and reputable organizations,” he said in a position paper.

Medina noted that “recognized dental regulatory bodies and organizations all over the world still support the continued use of amalgam restorations for lack of scientific evidence regarding their toxicity to humans, its affordability compared to the alternative restorative materials and also because of the limitations of these so-called amalgam alternatives.”

He was reacting to a study of non-government organization Ban Toxics, which showed there are high levels of mercury vapors in some dental schools and dental stores all over the country.

Medina added there is no perfect filling material and “as such, opines that the choice of restorative material should be based on the patient’s needs.”

“UPCD is aware that although dental amalgam fillings release dangerous mercury vapors, there is yet to be a clinical study directly linking dental amalgam and adverse effects to humans. As such, we do not recommend the removal of sound dental amalgam fillings,” he said.

The UPCD maintained that it “concurs with the statements of the American Dental Association, European Union and the United States’ Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) regarding the safety of dental amalgam fillings and the alternative materials.”

Medina said that in 2009, the US FDA reclassified dental amalgam from a low risk to a moderate risk material.

In 2008, a European Union Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks publication said dental amalgam and alternative fillings used to restore decayed teeth are “considered safe to use and they are all associated with very low rates of local adverse effects with no evidence of systemic disease.”

The document showed that alternative materials such as resin composites, glass ionomer cements and ceramics, among others, “are not without clinical limitations and toxicological hazards.”

The UCPD said the World Heath Organization’s “Consensus on Dental Amalgam,” which was approved by the Fédération Dentaire International general assembly in 2009, assured the safety of dental amalgam.

“While there has been a number of case studies and informal reports, no controlled studies have been published demonstrating systemic adverse effects from amalgam restorations. At present, there is no scientific evidence showing that general symptoms are relieved by the removal of amalgam restorations,” the document read.