WASHINGTON, Jul 29, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Silver dental fillings containing
mercury are safe for adults and children over age 6, except for people with
mercury allergies, a U.S. regulatory agency said.
Still, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the first time classified the
fillings as a Class II, or "moderate risk," medical device.
The move lets the agency impose tighter safety controls, the FDA said.
These new controls included in the FDA's "final regulation" of the fillings
include a statement of the risks of inhaling mercury vapor and a warning that
"dental professionals use adequate ventilation when handling dental amalgam,"
the FDA said.
Dental amalgam is the scientific term for a silver filling, which is actually
made of liquid mercury and a powdered alloy.
The mercury and the alloy previously were classified separately. The mercury
component was considered a Class I "low risk," the FDA said.
Still, the agency concluded that after reviewing more than 200 scientific
studies, the mercury levels released by dental amalgam fillings were not high
enough to cause brain damage.
Anti-mercury activists accused the agency of bowing to the dental industry and
said they'd try to force a change in court.
Some activists, including U.S. allergist, immunologist and dermatologist Alfred
V. Zamm, argue that dental amalgam fillings can leak in people's mouths, posing
a variety of chronic and acute health risks.
Silver dental fillings are the least expensive type of filling, accounting for
about 30 percent of U.S. fillings.
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Copyright 2009 by United Press International