We do not yet have the technology to measure this exposure level easily. It is 500 times lower than Dr. Stock measured in 1926 in his own exhaled breath. I suppose the dental educators will claim that the ATSDR is engaged in an alarmist conspiracy to dispute the long held and often touted anecdotal opinion of dentists.

When I asked the Dean of my dental school why I was not informed of the scientific facts regarding mercury the Dean told me that our education was ADA approved and they, not he, were responsible for the content. The ADA was recently dismissed from a lawsuit in California. They filed their request for dismissal based upon the fact that they are in no way responsible for the toxicity of any materials they approve. They are a trade organization and their approval of materials is not for safety but for purity and packaging.

Education of future scientists is not dictated by a tradeorganization. Research and science are suppose to be the foundation of the University system. The educators are suppose to keep abreast of developments and teach students to think with the tools of science not just memorize spin doctors anecdotal dogma.

Practicing dentists are ostensibly the responsible parties here not some government agency or trade organization. In California it is against the professional code of ethics to make false statements to the public. The legislature felt that the burden of knowledge rested upon the professional with greater training and expertise in the field. They require the professional to be absolutely certain that our statement are the truth. If your state has adopted similar regulations, scientifically unfounded claims of safety may be a violation of that ethical standard. It is no wonder that patients seeking to have more biocompatible restorations placed have difficulty in finding competent dentists.

" Dental Educator, D.D.S., M.S.D. says: If you do choose to have your restorations replaced

I am certain you can find a dentist willing to do so, but you should be aware that the mainstream of the

dental profession considers it unethical to remove amalgam restorations simply because they

contain mercury. "

FALSE! More precisely the ADA code of ethics was changed to say that it is unethical for a dentist to recommend the removal of a serviceable amalgam because it allegedly contained a toxic substance. This does not require dentists to lie to their patients about the chronic exposure to mercury vapor and abraided particles of mercury silver copper zinc and tin from wearing amalgam implants in their teeth. It also allows the patient the freedom to select the type of filling they desire. The president of the ADA has specifically stated that is is not a breach of ethics for a dentist to remove an amalgam merely because a patient has requested that it be removed. (I strongly recommend written informed consent to protect the dentist from challenges by misinformed dental boards)

Every year according to the ADA 100,000,000 amalgams are placed in Americans teeth. This utilizes over 144,000 pounds of mercury. How many cubic meters of air would that produce at .02 ug/m3? I suspect that is easily enough mercury to expose every woman, man, cow, horse, child, bird on this planet to an acute dose.

The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology did an extensive review of the scientific literature in 1985 and called for a ban on placement until such time as the proponents produced the claimed evidence of safety. Since that time the proponents have ceased to claim that valid science exists and have instead relied upon such spurious arguments that 100 years of use proved that amalgam is safe. They claim that what they and observed or not observed in their clinical practice and their personal assessment of the health of dental professionals. If quackery is the unscientific exploitation of anecdotal remedies and the promotion of one's position through stories and personal observations then quackery has it's roots firmly entrenched in the dental education of this profession.

" You should also be aware that unless a tooth is isolated with a rubber dam during restoration removal, and high volume evacuation with water spray also used, more mercury will be ingested that can possibly happen with years of wear with normal chewing. "

Excessive exposure during treatment among other reasons is why The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology has not recommended removal of amalgam. We have developed a scientifically proven protocol for the removal which, if followed, will unquestionably reduce patient exposure. While the Academy has called for a ban on placement of amalgam the removal protocol would in fact reduce a persons exposure should their dentist insist on amalgam placement. Since very few dentists are careful about mercury exposure during placement of amalgam your remarks about excessive exposure during removal are equally apropos to those choosing to have a new amalgam. The amount of mercury which is excreted immediately after placement of a number of amalgams is quite large. Studies as early as 1957 using radioactively labeled Mercury 203 found high levels both upon placement and upon removal. High levels were again found when amalgams were removed even when the teeth were extracted. (Frykholm KO: On mercury from dental amalgam. Its toxic and allergic effects and some comments on occupational hygiene. Acta Odont Scand 15:7-108, suppl 22, 1957)

Mercury From Amalgam Is Consumed Daily

Even after the amalgam has set it continues to wear away. How many micrograms of mercury are consumed daily from the wear of amalgams in the mouth? (Skare I & Engqvist A. Amalgam restorations - an important source of human exposure of mercury and silver. LÄKARTIDNINGEN 15:1299-1301, 1992) Excretion of total Hg via feces alone = 263 µg/24 hour. Professor Skare concluded his analysis of fecal mercury with the following statement: "If the average fecal excretion was applied to the entire Swedish population, a total emission of 150 kg/yr (330 lb/year) can be estimated. This is roughly comparable to the yearly mercury leakage from a modern chloralkali plant."

Also make sure to read these books: Poison in Your Teeth: Mercury Amalgam (Silver) Fillings...Hazardous to Your Health! and Mercury Detoxification by Tom McGuire