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French dentists move away from Share

20
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mercury fillings
Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Germany have banned or
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restricted use of the fillings. The European commission may soon
call for their phasing out

Pascale Santi
Guardian Weekly, Tuesday 8 February 2011 13.59 GMT
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Toxic debate
Should we be worried about our dental fillings? The material commonly
used to fill holes in our teeth is half mercury, a toxic substance. Most 9 Dec 2008
EU must work with US to
people in France are living with mercury fillings, probably without even combat recession, says
realising it. Doctors and patients are increasingly critical of what are Barroso Subscribe to the Guardian Weekly
technically known as dental amalgam fillings, allegedly responsible for
15 Sep 2010
certain neurological or auto-immune disorders, such as Alzheimer's Brussels proposes
disease. Dr Michèle Panetier, a dentist in Paris, stopped using mercury tougher regulation of
fillings 15 years ago. "As a matter of precaution I would rather not use derivatives market
them for my patients," she says.
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Some countries – Sweden last year, and Norway, Denmark and Germany,
have banned or restricted the use of mercury fillings. But not France or
the UK. The European commission is due to publish the findings of its
On World news
review on dental amalgam fillings in March. In a preliminary report,
Most viewed Zeitgeist Latest
published online in July, the company tasked with the study, Bio
Intelligence Service, recommended phasing out mercury in dental care in Last 24 hours
Europe. 1. Bird kills man at
cockfight
"Having heavy metals in your mouth is a source of toxic substances,
which for some genetically predisposed patients may increase the risk of
diseases such as disseminated sclerosis," says neurologist Bernard
Aranda, who is "on the whole in favour of a ban".
2. Donald Rumsfeld book admits
'misstatements' over WMD sites
"The first measure should be to ban [mercury] amalgams," says Marie
Grosman, a life science teacher, scientific adviser for the Non au 3. Hitler Top Trumps-style game may face legal
Mercure Dentaire organisation and a member of the Réseau action
Environnement et Santé (RES) organisation. "We should pay attention to 4. US TV executive convicted of beheading wife
the materials dentists are using in our mouths. Toxicity tests are needed
to guarantee that they are innocuous and compatible with our bodies. 5. Egyptian uprising enables jailed Hamas
That would rule out mercury immediately, which has several proven toxic militant to escape
effects. Yet it is covered by the Social Security!" According to Grosman,

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effects. Yet it is covered by the Social Security!" According to Grosman, More most viewed
"mercury passes through the placenta because dental mercury is found
in the umbilical cord and in the developing child's organs".
A causal link between exposure to dental mercury and the onset of Bestsellers from the Guardian shop
disease is difficult to establish, according to several organisations
including WWF-France, RES and Générations Futures. However, for All Seasons 13.5 tog
those of you who have mercury fillings it is preferable not to rush to the duck feather and
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A report published by France's Healthcare Products Safety Agency

(Afssaps)in 2005 concluded that mercury fillings were harmless. Three
years later the health minister Roselyne Bachelot assured France's Latest news on guardian.co.uk
upper chamber that "the amount of mercury released into the organism News
by a dental amalgam is very small and well below the threshold at which Egypt protesters renew call for Mubarak to resign
toxic effects may be observed". She added: "We know of no proven now
cases of a patient having suffered mercury intoxication due to dental
amalgams."
Nonetheless, Afssaps recommends that mothers expecting a baby or Section Classified
breast-feeding, and anyone with kidney problems should avoid mercury
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fillings. "There is no health risk," says Dr David Siarri, a Paris dentist, but pools France
at the same time he admits that he uses "very few dental amalgams and Luxury villas with pools
only in certain cases." in France with Quality
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So what are the alternatives to dental amalgams? Chemically neutral
ceramic inlays are the best solution, according to the experts. The
problem, at least in France, is that public health insurance coverage for
this type of treatment is very poor.
The other methods also entail health risks. "More than 40 substances This week's bestsellers
may enter into the composition of alternative materials, which increases
the potential risks of compounds causing allergies, mutation, cancers 1. WikiLeaks
and other disorders," according to the ADF inhouse magazine. "Resins by David Leigh & Luke Harding
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release free monomers which may attack your gums or dental pulp,"
Goldberg says.
"Dental technology is changing very fast. There is a lot of talk about
fillings but we need to be careful with all the materials used in dentistry," 2. Eyewitness Decade
says Siarri. So what are we to do? "There is no universal solution," by Roger Tooth £17.50
Goldberg says. "The real priority is to prevent dental decay."
3. How to Change the World
This article originally appeared in Le Monde by Eric Hobsbawm £20.00
4. Henry's Demons
by Henry Cockburn £13.59
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5. Ragged Trousered Philanthropists
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