Please activate JavaScript!
Please install Adobe Flash Player, click here for download
ePaper created 2018-02-22, 14:03:45 | version 1.38.0
Dental Tribune Middle East & Africa Edition | 6/2016 37 +971 4 388 1313 info@dradubai.com Dr. Benoit PHILLIPE - FRANCE | Oral and Maxillofacial surgeon Orthognathic Surgery Before Refer for: After Cyst Bone Graft Sinus Lift Extraction (Wisdom Teeth) To refer cases contact: Patricia DELGADO | Treatment Coordinator +971 4 388 1313 patricia@dradubai.com Dental fillings may contribute to increased levels of mercury in the body ByDTI ATHENS, Ga., USA: Although the potential adverse health effects of mercury have been the subject of debate for a long time, the extent to which dental fillings affect mercury levels in the body was still unclear. A new study has now found that peo- ple with multiple dental fillings ex- hibited significantly elevated levels of mercury in their blood compared with people who did not have dental surfacerestorations. Thestudy,whichanalyzeddatafrom nearly 15,000 individuals, is the first to demonstrate a link between den- tal fillings and mercury exposure in a nationally representative popula- tion. The researchers found that pa- tients with more than eight fillings had about 150 percent more mer- cury in their blood than those with none. They further analyzed exposure by specific types of mercury and found a significant increase in methylmer- cury, the most toxic form of mer- cury, associated with dental fillings, suggesting that the human gut mi- crobiota, a collection of microorgan- isms living in the intestines, may transform different types of mer- cury. Mercury exposure from dental fill- ings is not a new concern, but previ- ous studies were inconsistent and limited, according to Dr. Xiaozhong Yu, co-author and Assistant Profes- sor of Environmental Health Science attheUniversityofGeorgia’sCollege ofPublicHealth.“Thisstudyistrying to provide the most accurate levels of exposure, which will form the sci- entific basis to make future risk as- sessment,”Yusaid. In response to the study, the Ameri- can Dental Association (ADA) issued a press statement at the end of Sep- tember that clarified that the associ- ation’s position on dental amalgam remains unchanged. “The mercury levels cited in the study did not ex- ceed a level that according to the NationalAcademyofScienceswould be known to cause adverse health ef- fects. Thus no conclusions about the safety of dental amalgam should be drawn from this study. In addition, the study used data that included two different types of dental materi- als: composite, which does not con- tain mercury and dental amalgam, made from a combination of met- als including silver, copper, tin and mercury. It is important to note that since the study does not differenti- atebetweenthetwofillingmaterials, the study’s findings may be prone to over-interpretation,”theADAstated. The ADA and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration consider den- tal amalgam fillings safe for adults. However, they advise against its use inpregnantwomenandchildrenun- dertheageof6. The study, titled “Associations of blood mercury, inorganic mercury, methyl mercury and bisphenol A with dental surface restorations in the U.S. population, NHANES 2003–2004 and 2010–2012,” will be published in the December issue of the Ecotoxicology and Environmen- tal Safety journal. It was conducted by researchers at the University of Georgia and the University of Wash- ington. neWs Dental Tribune Middle East & Africa Edition | 6/201637 +97143881313 +97143881313