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Source document:
Tooth filling materials SCENIHR / SCHER (2008)

Summary & Details:

Dental amalgams & alternative GreenFacts (2008)
materials

1. Introduction .........................................3
Context - Amalgam is a combination of 2. How are dental amalgams made?............3
mercury with other metals and has been 3. How can dental patients and workers be
used as a tooth filling material since exposed to mercury from amalgams?.......3
th 4. What health effects could be linked to the
early in the 19 century.
form of mercury contained in dental
Alternative tooth-coloured materials are amalgams?...........................................4
increasingly used because they look 5. What are the possible health effects of
better and require less intervention. alternative tooth filling materials?............4
6. Conclusion on health effects of dental
How safe are different tooth filling amalgams and their alternatives on users...
materials? Are they equally effective in 5
ensuring dental health? 7. What is the environmental risk of the use of
dental amalgams and alternative materials?.
An assessment by the European 5
Commission Scientific Committees on 8. How serious are the risks of indirect exposure
Emerging and Newly Identified Health to mercury from disposal dental
Risks (SCENIHR) and on Health and
amalgams?...........................................6
Environmental Risks (SCHER).
9. What further information is needed on
environmental risks of dental amalgams?...
6

The answers to these questions are a faithful summary of two opinions produced in 2008 by scientific committees
of the European Commission: "The safety of dental amalgam and alternative dental restoration materials for
patients and users" by SCENIHR (Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks) and “The
environmental risks and indirect health effects of mercury in dental amalgam" by SCHER (Scientific Committee
on Health and Environmental Risks).
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1. Introduction

Dental amalgam is a combination of mercury with other metals and

has been used for over 150 years for the treatment of tooth cavities
because it is very strong and durable. Moreover, it is soft enough to
adapt to the size and shape of the tooth cavity, yet hardens
sufficiently fast to make it practical. However, concerns have been Amalgam fillings
voiced about possible harmful effects of the mercury present in
dental amalgams.

Though it may still be considered a material of choice for some fillings in the back teeth,
the use of amalgams has been decreasing in recent years, because it is not tooth-coloured
and does not adhere to the surface of the tooth.

Alternative tooth-coloured filling materials have become increasingly popular. Not only do
these materials look better, but they require the dentist to remove less tooth material. In
addition they do not contain mercury. As a result, the teaching of the use of amalgams has
either been reduced or discontinued in many dental schools in Europe in favour of alternative
materials.

2. How are dental amalgams made?

Mercury is a heavy metal, sometimes known as quicksilver, that

occurs naturally in the environment in different chemical forms. The
pure form, elemental mercury, is liquid at room temperature and
slowly forms a vapour in the air.
Conventional Dental
Amalgam
Dental amalgams are made by mixing one part of liquid mercury [see Annex 1, p. 7]
with one part of a mixture of other metals: mainly silver, but also
tin, some copper and small amounts of zinc. The setting amalgam has the consistency of
a paste and is pressed firmly into the prepared tooth cavity to make the filling as strong as
possible. During this process, some excess mercury rises to the surface and is removed by
the dentist. The amalgam becomes solid quickly and gradually hardens over a few hours
to form a strong restoration that could last many years.

Set amalgam restorations release mercury vapour but much less so than liquid mercury.
Amalgams corrode over time very slowly, which may contribute to overall exposure of the
patient to mercury, but the exact level of this is not known.

3. How can dental patients and workers be exposed to mercury from

amalgams?

The general public is for instance exposed to mercury when eating

contaminated fish, using cosmetics, medicinal products and medical
devices that contain mercury – including dental amalgams – or at
certain workplaces where mercury is used (see question 8).

The main exposure of patients to mercury from dental amalgam Patients are mainly
exposed when fillings are
happens when they are having fillings placed or removed. placed or removed ©
Therese Chase

To reduce exposure to mercury of dental patients, it is better to leave amalgam fillings in

place unless there is a medical reason to remove them. However, it may be advisable to
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remove fillings in patients who are suspected to have allergic reactions to one of the metals
in the amalgam.

While amalgam fillings are in place, patients are exposed to mercury that is released through
normal wear, but the exposure is much lower than during placement and removal.

Dental workers are considerably more exposed to mercury than the general population.
Their main sources of exposure are vapours released when placing or removing fillings and
the exhaust air from dental vacuum systems. However, dental workers today are exposed
to much less mercury than in the past because of improvements in technique and in hygiene
measures, and because of the steady decline in the use of amalgams.

4. What health effects could be linked to the form of mercury contained in

dental amalgams?

4.1 People are mainly exposed to elemental mercury by breathing

in its vapour, since contact with the skin or ingestion leads to very
little absorption into the body. Mercury vapour is absorbed in the
lungs, spreads to the entire body and is then slowly excreted.

Breathing in extremely high concentrations of mercury may produce Dental workers are more
exposed than the general
bronchitis and pneumonia and affect the central system, for instance population
© Marcelo Terraza
leading to muscle tremors. Long-term exposure to high levels may
affect the kidneys and the inside of the mouth and gums. Such effects have been observed
in some workers employed in industries using mercury.

However, the amount released by dental amalgams is much lower than the limits allowed
for exposure at work. There is no evidence that the other metallic elements in amalgams
present a health risk, apart from allergic reactions.

4.2 Dental amalgam fillings occasionally cause local effects in the mouth, such as allergic
reactions of the gums and of the skin inside the mouth, but this happens only rarely and
is normally easy to manage. There have been claims that dental amalgam fillings might
harm the kidneys or have effects on the nervous system or the mind. But studies on human
populations have not found such link.

It is concluded that the current use of dental amalgams does not pose a health risk beyond
occasional local effects.

5. What are the possible health effects of alternative tooth filling materials?

5.1 In modern dentistry, restorations are increasingly made with

alternative, tooth-coloured materials. They vary in composition and
properties and include composites, cements, and sealants.
Composites, for instance, contain many components, including a
resin base and a ceramic filler. Composites are applied as a paste Composites are typically
to the tooth cavity and typically hardened using visible blue light. hardened using light
© Stockxpert

Some of the alternative materials are chemically very complex and not necessarily without
any health effects. The substances within the material react inside the tooth and with the
surrounding soft tissue. In the laboratory, it has been shown that certain resins that could
remain present in the filling material can affect gum and pulp cells and cause mutations
although this may not have any medical significance.
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5.2 Certain resins used in alternative materials can, in rare cases, lead to allergic reactions
in patients or dental workers. The light used to harden resins seems to be safe for most
patients and users, when applied properly, but can occasionally cause adverse reactions.

Alternative materials have now been in medical use for more than thirty years with little
evidence of adverse health effects. Over that time the materials themselves have been
modified, improved and made less harmful. However, their full chemical composition is
rarely disclosed and is hard to determine, and information on exposure is scarce and difficult
to obtain. Therefore, it may not be possible to confirm on the basis of scientific evidence
that all alternative tooth filling materials are safe.

6. Conclusion on health effects of dental amalgams and their alternatives

on users

6.1 Both dental amalgams and various alternative materials are considered effective and
safe to use. They are associated with a very small proportion of local effects in the mouth
and there is no evidence that they can cause disease. The relative risks and benefits of
using different tooth filling materials should be explained to patients and the public at large.

6.2 Dental amalgam fillings can, in rare cases, cause local allergic reactions and related
conditions. However, current evidence does not support any link between dental amalgams
and diseases – neither diseases of the urinary, neurological, reproductive and immune
systems nor any psychological conditions.

Amalgam is a safe material to use for dental restorations. As with any other medical
intervention, caution should be exercised when considering the placement of tooth fillings
in pregnant women. Mercury exposure may be higher among dental personnel than in the
general population, but there are very few reports of any adverse effects for that particular
group.

6.3 Some components used in the preparation of alternative tooth filling materials can
cause local allergic reactions, both in patients and in dental workers, although the number
of cases is very low. There is no evidence of any link between the use of alternative tooth
filling materials and any neurological or other health disorders. However, data are sparse
and caution should be exercised before introducing new variations of these materials into
the market.

7. What is the environmental risk of the use of dental amalgams and

alternative materials?

7.1 Mercury occurs naturally in the environment in different chemical

forms. Elemental mercury is the form used in dental amalgams.
Forms more commonly found in nature are inorganic mercury and
organic mercury. Natural events (e.g. weathering of rocks) and
human activities (e.g. fuel and waste combustion and, to a lesser Methylmercury can
extent, use and disposal of dental amalgams) can cause releases of accumulate along the food
chain © Aurileide Alves
these different forms of mercury into the environment.

Wastewater released by dental clinics could increase the concentration of inorganic mercury
in water bodies. The added risk for aquatic organisms of this source of inorganic mercury
is considered low. Sludge from plants that treat such wastewater present a low risk for
soil-dwelling organisms. In addition, the cremation of individuals with dental amalgam
fillings also leads to releases into air and deposition on soil.
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The main environmental concern relates to methylmercury, an organic form of mercury,

because it can accumulate in organisms. The levels of methylmercury increase along the
food chain and with age. Some of the mercury released by the use of dental amalgams will
be converted into methylmercury. Though estimates are available of the amounts of mercury
released by the use and disposal of dental amalgams in the European Union, it is not possible
to say what proportion of the risk associated with organic mercury present in the environment
is due to releases from amalgams.

7.2 For alternative tooth filling materials, potential effects on animals are known for certain
components. However, available information is too limited to assess the environmental risk
and compare it to dental amalgams.

8. How serious are the risks of indirect exposure to mercury from disposal
dental amalgams?

Mercury present in the environment – including that released by the use and disposal of
dental amalgams – can be taken up by the humans through air, water and food. The general
public is mainly exposed to methylmercury through the diet (particularly fish), and to
elemental mercury vapours at certain workplaces and from tooth fillings. Methylmercury is
particularly poisonous to the nervous system.

The indirect exposures of humans to methylmercury from dental amalgams are well below
tolerable limits and the risk for serious health effects is low.

9. What further information is needed on environmental risks of dental

amalgams?

To enable a full assessment of environmental risks, more information is needed on regional

variations across the EU in the use of dental amalgam as well as the related release and
fate of mercury, including emissions from crematoria. It is also necessary to compile data
on the effects of different forms of mercury on humans and on the environment as well as
a review of the way methylmercury accumulates in organisms under different EU conditions.
The relative contribution of dental mercury to the overall mercury pool in the environment
needs to be determined.
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Annex

Annex 1:
Conventional Dental Amalgam (content by weight)

Source: GreenFacts
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