Research: Older Mercury Dental Fillings May Be Less Toxic Than Previously Thought

Saskatoon, Canada (AHN) – Surface forms of mercury in older “silver” dental fillings (also known as amalgams) might be less toxic than was previously thought, researchers say.

A new study by a University of Saskatchewan team of scientists is among the latest research in the ongoing controversy over the safety of older dental fillings that contain mercury.

“The dental amalgam on the surface of an old tooth filling may have lost as much as 95 per cent of its mercury but what’s left is in a form that is unlikely to be toxic in the body,” said University of Saskatchewan Canada Research Chair Graham George, the lead researcher on the study.

Mercury-based fillings have been used by dentists for over a century. However, researchers say that human exposure to mercury from deteriorating fillings is still a concern and that more research is needed.

The study was published in the American Chemical Society journal Chemical Research in Toxicology.

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