FDA issues precautionary note on silver fillings

By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer 1 hour, 1 minute ago

WASHINGTON - Silver dental fillings contain mercury, and the government
for the first time is warning that they may pose a safety concern for
pregnant women and young children. The Food and Drug Administration
posted the precaution on its Web site earlier this month, to settle a
lawsuit ‹ making the move a victory for anti-mercury activists.

The warning is not aimed at the general population, only at two groups
already urged to limit mercury from another source ‹ seafood ‹ because
too much can harm a developing brain.

The fillings, formally known as dental amalgams, "contain mercury, which
may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing
children and fetuses," reads the FDA Web posting.

That doesn't mean it truly harms, and the FDA advises against removing
existing fillings.

The agency still is studying whether the small amount of mercury vapor
released by chewing and brushing is enough to cause neurologic disorders
or other problems in youngsters. There have been only a handful of
rigorous studies comparing children given either amalgam fillings or
tooth-colored resin composite fillings that are mercury-free ‹ and those
studies haven't detected any brain problems.

Nor has that research settled the long-simmering scientific controversy.
Two years ago, the FDA's own independent scientific advisers said that
while amalgam fillings were safe for most people, more research was
needed about potential effects on fetuses and children under 6.

And this spring, the FDA put dentists on notice that it is considering
additional controls, including whether to require warnings that would
advise consumers of the mercury in amalgams before they have a cavity
filled, or perhaps even restrict use in small children and certain other
patients. It is accepting public comments until July 28.

more?

http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/amalgams.html