ADA: WHO releases report on dental materials, amalgam

American Dental Association - WHO releases report on dental materials, amalgam

Dental amalgam is rapidly fading out from dental practice due to the increased use of aesthetic restorative materials, particularly resin-based composites, for restorations in posterior teeth. However, the debate about the safety of dental amalgam seems to be a never-ending subject. Amalgam opponents go as far as to request this material to be banned due to the toxicity and health issues associated with mercury (oral lesions, autoimmune disorders, chronic illnesses etc.)

In a recent report, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that dental amalgam remains a dental restorative material of choice reaffirming the safety of this material. Nevertheless, the WHO report emphasizes that alternative materials and preventive measures should be further improved and implemented.

In 2009, ADA and FDA agreed that dental amalgam should not be restricted from dental practice since the scientific literature supports amalgam as "a valuable, viable and safe choice for dental patients". Read more about this in another post.

It seems that amalgam will eventually cease to be used in dentistry not because of its safety issues but because of considerable improvements of aesthetic materials.

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ADA press release - Dental amalgam

"American Dental Association Statement: Food and Drug Administration Action on Dental Amalgam

WASHINGTON, July 28, 2009—The American Dental Association (ADA) agrees with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) decision not to place any restriction on the use of dental amalgam, a commonly used cavity filling material.

The FDA ruling issued today categorizes encapsulated dental amalgam as a class II medical device, placing it in the same class as gold and tooth-colored composite fillings. The ADA has supported a class II designation for dental amalgam since 2002 when first proposed by the FDA.

"The FDA has left the decision about dental treatment right where it needs to be—between the dentist and the patient," states ADA President Dr. John Findley. "This decision underscores what the ADA has long supported—a discussion between dentists and patients about the full range of treatment options to help patients make educated decisions regarding their dental care."

Dental amalgam is a cavity-filling material made by combining mercury with other metals such as silver, copper and tin. Numerous scientific studies conducted over the past several decades, including two large clinical trials published in the April 2006 Journal of the American Medical Association, indicate dental amalgam is a safe, effective cavity-filling material for children and others. And, in its 2009 review of the scientific literature on amalgam safety, the ADA's Council on Scientific Affairs reaffirmed that the scientific evidence continues to support amalgam as a valuable, viable and safe choice for dental patients."

Source: www.ada.org

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The two studies mentioned in this ADA press release are free to download
(Click on the image for full text)

(1) Neuropsychological and renal effects in children whose dental caries were restored using amalgam or mercury-free materials

(2) Neurobehavioral effects of dental amalgam in children

IADR press release - Is Obesity an Oral Bacterial Disease?

"New research published in the June issue of the Journal of Dental Research
suggests that oral bacteria may contribute to the development of obesity.

The Journal of Dental Research is a multidisciplinary journal dedicated to the dissemination of new knowledge in all sciences relevant to dentistry and the oral cavity and associated structures in health and disease. At 3.966, the JDR holds the highest Five-Year Impact Factor of all dental journals publishing original research, with a cited half-life >10 years, reflecting the influential nature of the Journal’s content. It also has the highest Eigenfactor Score in the field.

The world-wide explosion of overweight people has been called an epidemic. The inflammatory nature of obesity is widely recognized. Could it really be an epidemic involving an infectious agent? In this climate of concern over the increasing prevalence of overweight conditions in our society, investigators have focused on the possible role of oral bacteria as a potential direct contributor to obesity.

To investigate this possibility, the study’s researchers J.M. Goodson, D. Groppo, S. Halem and E. Carpino measured salivary bacterial populations of overweight women. Saliva was collected from 313 women with a body mass index between 27 and 32, and bacterial populations were measured by DNA probe analysis. Levels in this group were compared with data from a population of 232 healthy individuals from periodontal disease studies. The median percentage difference of seven of the 40 bacterial species measured was greater than 2 percent in the saliva of overweight women. Classification tree analysis of salivary microbiological composition revealed that 98.4 percent of the overweight women could be identified by the presence of a single bacterial species (Selenomonas noxia) at levels greater than 1.05 percent of the total salivary bacteria. Analysis of these data suggests that the composition of salivary bacteria changes in overweight women.

It seems likely that these bacterial species could serve as biological indicators of a developing overweight condition. Of even greater interest, and the subject of future research, is the possibility that oral bacteria may participate in the pathology that leads to obesity."

Source: IADR