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Dental TribuneAsia Pacific Edition | 9/2015 WORLD NEWS 05 By DTI BRUSSELS, Belgium: Many coun- tries around the world, European countries in particular, have seen a shift away from the use of dental amalgaminoralhealthcareandan increase in the use of alternative materials over the past years. The European Commission recently acknowledged this trend and pub- lished an updated version of its opinion on the safety of dental amalgam and alternative restora- tion materials. The new document is an update of the 2008 opinion and aims to assess the safety and effectiveness of dental amalgam and current alternativematerialsbyevaluating the latest scientific evidence. While in 2008 the European Commission and the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks con- cluded that both types of material are generally considered safe to use, they now recommend that the choice of material be based on patient characteristics. In accor- dance with the objectives of the MinamataConventiononMercury, the committee now recommends using alternative materials in chil- dren and pregnant women. The committee further stated thatthesystemiceffectsofelemen- tary mercury are well documented and it has been identified as a neurotoxin,especiallyduringearly brain development by a number of studies. Mercury has also been associated with adverse health ef- fects in the digestive and immune systems, and in the lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes. Nevertheless, the evidence for such effects due to dental amalgam is weak, according to the committee. The new recommendation is also based on the findings that dental amalgam fillings may cause mercury poisoning in genetically susceptible populations. Some genetic variants appear to impart increased susceptibility to mer- cury toxicity from dental amal- gam. Studies involving dental health care personnel have indicated that mercury exposure from dental amalgam during placement and removal may cause or contribute to many chronic illnesses, as well as depression, anxiety and suicide. However, exposure of both pa- tients and dental personnel could be minimised by the use of ap- propriate clinical techniques, the committee stated in its opinion report. However, current evidence does not preclude the use of either amalgam or alternative materials in dental restorative treatment. The committee acknowledged that there is a need for further re- search, particularly with regard to neurotoxicity of mercury from dental amalgam and the effect of genetic polymorphisms on mer- cury toxicity. In addition, the committee concluded that there is a need for the development of new alternative materials with a high degree of biocompatibility. The full report, titled“The safety of dental amalgam and alternative dental restoration materials for patientsandusers”,canbeaccessed on the website of the Scientific CommitteeonEmergingandNewly Identified Health Risks. AD European Commission alters opinion on dental amalgam Update recommends use of alternative materials for dental fillings DTAP0915_05_Amalgam 08.09.15 09:30 Seite 1 DTAP0915_05_Amalgam 08.09.1509:30 Seite 1