Dental Amalgam Fillings

Summary of a Report from the American Dental Association

In 1991, the FDA's Dental Products Panel found that amalgam was a durable and cost-effective restorative material, and there was no reason to deny the public access to beneficial therapies. According to the American Dental Association, dental amalgam has an indisputable safety record.

The U.S. Public Health Service found in 1993 "no persuasive reason to believe that avoiding amalgams or having them removed will have a beneficial effect on health, except in the extremely rare case of the patient who is allergic to a component of amalgam." In fact, it is not recommended to have amalgam fillings removed unless necessary due to decay or tooth fracture. An unnecessary restoration can cause weakness in an otherwise healthy tooth.

This supports the findings of the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institute of Health, and the National Institute of Dental Research, that dental amalgam is a safe and effective restorative material and has a "continuing value in maintaining oral health."

People are exposed to more total mercury from food, water, and air than from the minute amounts of mercury vapor released from amalgam fillings. In over 150 years of use, there have only a few documented cases of allergic reactions to amalgam in the dental literature.

The American Dental Association supports carefully designed, comprehensive research for the evaluation of current materials, and the development of new materials that will in the future demonstrate to be as safe and valuable as dental amalgam. Current alternatives, such as composite resins (used for tooth colored fillings), have not been as successful as dental amalgam in providing a durable and long-lasting restoration, especially in the case of large fillings.

"Millions of people have amalgam restorations in their mouths, and millions more will receive amalgam restorations for restoring their carious teeth. Over the years, amalgam has been used for dental restorations without evidence of major health problems. Newly developed techniques have demonstrated that minute levels of mercury are released from amalgam restorations; but no health consequences from exposure to such low levels of mercury released from amalgam restorations have been demonstrated. Given the available scientific information and considering the demonstrated benefits of dental amalgams, unless new scientific research dictates otherwise, there currently appears to be no justification for discontinuing the use of dental amalgam."

JADA, Vol. 129, April 1998

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