"Health care policy must be based on sound science because our patients deserve nothing less," stresses Frederick Eichmiller, D.D.S., director, American Dental Association (ADA) Foundation's Paffenbarger Research Center, Gaithersburg, Maryland. "To that end, I must set the record straight concerning misconceptions that some hold about a common dental filling referred to as dental amalgam." Dr. Eichmiller made the statements today in testimony to members of the U.S. House of Representatives Government Reform Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness at their hearing on Consumer Choice and Implementing Full Disclosure in Dentistry.
"And because the ADA and our member dentists want patients to make informed decisions regarding oral health care, we provide both dentists and patients with educational materials about the advantages and disadvantages of the various materials used to treat decayed teeth," says Dr Eichmiller. "It is noteworthy that for more than a decade, in our patient information on amalgam, the ADA has indicated the presence of mercury."
The ADA's mission, explains Dr. Eichmiller, is to protect the right of dentists and their patients to choose the most appropriate material that is safe and effective, based on the individual needs of that patient.
To help facilitate patient choice, the ADA encourages private and publicly funded dental plans to cover the full range of dental restoration treatment options, not simply the least costly option, which is usually dental amalgam.
Throughout the years dentists have earned the trust of their patients by basing their treatment decisions on sound science and clinical experience, according to the ADA. What science and experience tells us is that amalgam, like all other dental filling materials currently in use, is safe and effective, says the ADA.
Concern about amalgam because it contains mercury is intuitive, but not supported by scientific fact, says Dr. Eichmiller. It is true that amalgam contains mercury, but when it is mixed with metals such as silver, copper and tin, it forms a stable alloy that dentists have used for years to successfully treat dental disease in millions of people, he explains.
Major organizations responsible for protecting the public's health view dental amalgam as a safe and effective treatment option for dental decay. These organizations include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Public Health Service, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization. The FDA published its most recent reaffirmation of amalgam's safety in December 2002.
It is not the intent of the ADA to promote amalgam over any other safe and effective material dentists use to restore decayed teeth, according to Dr. Eichmiller. The ADA believes very strongly that Americans should not be deprived of this valued and, in some instances, irreplaceable treatment option.
"For instance in large cavities in the rear teeth where chewing forces are greatest or cavities below the gum line," he explains, "amalgam is used because of its durability and it is one of the best filling materials that can be placed in areas of the mouth that are difficult to keep dry."
The ADA would hate to see such a valuable material banned based on misinformation about its safety, adds Dr. Eichmiller, and we oppose any legislation that would eliminate this viable option for treating dental disease.
As the leader of a science-based profession, the ADA is open to new scientific information and welcomes the opportunity to debate it according to the standards that prevail in the scientific community, he says.