Studies Show No Ill Effects From Mercury in Kids' Dental Fil

Good news for those of us with amalgam fillings who weren't blessed with perfect teeth.

Studies Show No Ill Effects From Mercury in Kids' Dental Fillings

Amalgam dental fillings are safe for most kids, two new studies show.

For 150 years, dentists have filled cavities with a silver mixture called amalgam. By weight, it's about half mercury. Nearly everyone assumed that the mercury became inert once the amalgam hardened. But it's now clear that tiny amounts of mercury vapor leach out of the fillings. Some of it gets into the bloodstream.

Is it harmful? Mercury is highly toxic at low concentrations. However, it's never been proven that mercury from dental fillings is harmful. There's no proof it isn't, either.

That's why the U.S. National Institutes of Health commissioned two separate clinical trials. Each trial enrolled children with cavities. Half the kids got mercury-containing amalgam fillings. Half got fillings made from a newer resin-based composite material.

For seven years in one study, and for five years in the other, the kids underwent extensive neuropsychological tests, IQ tests, and tests of nerve function.
Amalgam Fillings Article