Mercury in dental-filling materials -- an updated risk analysis in environmental medical terms
01 Jan 2002-
About: The article was published on 2002-01-01 and is currently open access. It has received 16 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Mercury (element).
Citations
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TL;DR: The issue of diagnostic testing for chronic, historical or low dose mercury poisoning is considered including an analysis of the influence of ligand interactions and nutritional factors upon the accuracy of "chelation challenge" tests.
329 citations
TL;DR: The aim of this review is to survey differences in human exposure and in the toxicology of different forms of mercury to study subclinical effects in population studies.
Abstract: Mercury is ubiquitous in the environment and therefore every human being, irrespective of age and location, is exposed to one form of mercury or another. The major source of environmental mercury is natural degassing of the earth's crust, but industrial activities can raise exposure to toxic levels directly or through the use or misuse of the liquid metals or synthesized mercurial compounds. The aim of this review is to survey differences in human exposure and in the toxicology of different forms of mercury. It covers not only symptoms and signs observed in poisoned individuals by a clinician but also subclinical effects in population studies, the final evaluation of which is the domain of statisticians.
221 citations
TL;DR: It was claimed by the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) in a report to the EU-Commission that "....no risks of adverse systemic effects exist and the current use of dental amalgam does not pose a risk of systemic disease..."
Abstract: It was claimed by the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR)) in a report to the EU-Commission that "....no risks of adverse systemic effects exist and the current use of dental amalgam does not pose a risk of systemic disease..." [1, available from: http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_risk/committees/04_scenihr/docs/scenihr_o_016.pdf].
109 citations
TL;DR: A number of studies are methodically flawed drawing inaccurate conclusions as to the safety of dental amalgam, considering the newest findings on mercury toxicity and metabolism.
101 citations
TL;DR: This review has uncovered no convincing evidence pointing to any adverse health effects that are attributable to dental amalgam restorations besides hypersensitivity in some individuals.
Abstract: There is significant public concern about the potential health effects of exposure to mercury vapour (Hg0) released from dental amalgam restorations. The purpose of this article is to provide information about the toxicokinetics of Hg0, evaluate the findings from the recent scientific and medical literature, and identify research gaps that when filled may definitively support or refute the hypothesis that dental amalgam causes adverse health effects. Dental amalgam is a widely used restorative dental material that was introduced over 150 years ago. Most standard dental amalgam formulations contain approximately 50% elemental mercury. Experimental evidence consistently demonstrates that Hg0 is released from dental amalgam restorations and is absorbed by the human body. Numerous studies report positive correlations between the number of dental amalgam restorations or surfaces and urine mercury concentrations in non-occupationally exposed individuals. Although of public concern, it is currently unclear what adverse health effects are caused by the levels of Hg0 released from this restoration material. Historically, studies of occupationally exposed individuals have provided consistent information about the relationship between exposure to Hg0 and adverse effects reflecting both nervous system and renal dysfunction. Workers are usually exposed to substantially higher Hg0 levels than individuals with dental amalgam restorations and are typically exposed 8 hours per day for 20–30 years, whereas persons with dental amalgam restorations are exposed 24 hours per day over some portion of a lifetime. This review has uncovered no convincing evidence pointing to any adverse health effects that are attributable to dental amalgam restorations besides hypersensitivity in some individuals.
100 citations
Cites background from "Mercury in dental-filling materials..."
...In cause the kidneys are the primary site of Hg2+ accumulation, 2002, a literature review of the health effects of dental amalgam chronic exposures to Hg0 >0.050mg Hg/m3 can result in adverse undertaken for the Dental Material Commission of Sweden[9] effects on renal function....
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...Although other literature reviews of dental serve as sentinels, as they are usually exposed to substantially amalgam have placed emphasis on animal and in vitro studies,[9] higher Hg0 levels than persons with dental amalgam restorations....
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...050mg Hg/m3 can result in adverse undertaken for the Dental Material Commission of Sweden[9] effects on renal function....
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...In addition, the governments of gingivitis, stomatitis, hearing loss, and emotional instability and Sweden and Denmark have banned and are currently phasing out irritability may begin to be observed at air concentrations all mercury-containing materials, including dental amalgam, be- >0.050mg Hg/m3 (urine mercury ≥60µg Hg/g creatinine)....
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References
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TL;DR: Dental amalgam restorations, regardless of number, occlusal surface area or time, do not relate to brain Hg levels, and Hg in dental amalgam Restorations does not appear to be a neurotoxic factor in the pathogenesis of AD.
Abstract: Background
Mercury, or Hg, is a neurotoxin that has been speculated to play a role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, or AD. Dental amalgam releases low levels of Hg vapor and is a potential source of Hg for a large segment of the adult population.
87 citations
"Mercury in dental-filling materials..." refers background in this paper
...Nor was there any difference with respect to the presence of amalgam fillings (Saxe et al. 1999)....
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TL;DR: The concentration of mercury in the breast milk collected immediately after birth showed a significant association with the number of amalgam fillings as well as with the frequency of meals, and the additional exposure to mercury of breast-fed babies from maternal amalgam Fillings is of minor importance compared to maternal fish consumption.
86 citations
TL;DR: There is no association between disease and S-Hg on a population basis in middle-aged and older women in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Abstract: A prospective population study of women in Gothenburg, Sweden was started in 1968-69 and comprised 1462 women aged 38, 46, 50, 54, or 60 years at baseline. Follow-up studies were carried out in 1974-75, 1980-81, and 1992-93. The baseline study included an extensive medical and dental examination. Serum mercury concentration (beta-HG) was determined in deep-frozen samples from all participants in 1968-69 and in a random subsample of sera from participants in 1980-81, about 20 years after the baseline examination. S-Hg was statistically significantly correlated with number of amalgam fillings at both examinations. Of 30 defined symptoms and 4 different clusters of symptoms, no one was independently correlated with S-Hg measured in the samples from 1968-69, while there was a negative statistically significant correlation with over-exertion and poor appetite in 1980-81. Blood hemoglobin and serum B-12 concentrations in 1968-69 were statistically significantly and positively correlated with S-Hg, while erythrocyte sedimentation rate and the serum concentrations of potassium and triglycerides were significantly and negatively correlated with S-Hg, also after including potential confounders. Blood hematocrit examined in 1980-81 was negatively correlated with S-Hg. When including potential confounders, serum IgA was also statistically significantly correlated with S-Hg, but not in univariate analysis. No statistically significant correlation was observed between S-Hg, on the one hand, and the incidence of diabetes, myocardial infarction, stroke, or cancer on the other, while a statistically significant negative correlation was observed with overall mortality when age and education were included as background variables. There were some correlations between biological variables and S-Hg, probably of no negative clinical significance, and we conclude that there is no association between disease and S-Hg on a population basis in middle-aged and older women.
80 citations
TL;DR: A meta-analysis for neurobehavioural test results of subjects occupationally exposed to mercury was carried out in order to find general tendencies and express possible deficits numerically and can be used as suggestions for new discussions about threshold limit values.
Abstract: A meta-analysis for neurobehavioural test results of subjects occupationally exposed to mercury was carried out in order to find general tendencies and express possible deficits numerically. Out of 44 studies investigating neurobehavioural functions of occupationally exposed individuals, 12 studies provided the data required and were included in the analysis. In all, 14 neuropsychological tests with 20 different tasks were analysed. The results related to 686 exposed and 579 control subjects. Nine significant performance effects were shown for mean urinary concentrations between 18 and 34 microg Hg/g creatinine. The effects sizes (D(W+)) referred to attention (D(W+)=-0.40 and -0.46), memory (D(W+)=-0.38 and -0.40), construction (D(W+)=-0.20) and motor performance (D(W+)=-0.24, -0.40, -0.44 and -0.47). Additionally there was evidence for a dose-response relationship of effect sizes, if all test results were taken into account. Whether the effect sizes could be subject to overestimation was discussed, but there were no reasons for such an assumption. The results can be used as suggestions for new discussions about threshold limit values.
79 citations
"Mercury in dental-filling materials..." refers background in this paper
...In nine neuropsychological performance parameters, statistically significant differences between exposed persons and controls were found, with a dose-response association for exposure corresponding to 18 34 µg Hg per litre of urine (Meyer-Baron et al., 2002)....
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TL;DR: It is demonstrated that expression of specific stress proteins in rat kidney exhibits regional heterogeneity in response to Hg(II) exposure, and a positive correlation exists between accumulation of some stress proteins and acute renal cell injury.
78 citations