STUDY: The contribution of dental amalgam to urinary mercury excretion in children

http://ilenarose.blogspot.com
Health Lover

The contribution of dental amalgam to urinary mercury excretion in
children

Environ Health Perspect. 2007 Oct;115(10):1527-31. Woods JS, Martin
MD, Leroux BG, Derouen TA, Leitão JG, Bernardo MF, Luis HS, Simmonds
PL, Kushleika JV, Huang Y.

Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences,
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.

BACKGROUND: Urinary mercury concentrations are widely used as a
measure of mercury exposure from dental amalgam fillings. No studies
have evaluated the relationship of these measures in a longitudinal
context in children.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated urinary mercury in children 8-18 years of age
in relation to number of amalgam surfaces and time since placement
over a 7-year course of amalgam treatment.

METHODS: Five hundred seven children, 8-10 years of age at baseline,
participated in a clinical trial to evaluate the neurobehavioral
effects of dental amalgam in children. Subjects were randomized to
either dental amalgam or resin composite treatments. Urinary mercury
and creatinine concentrations were measured at baseline and annually
on all participants.

RESULTS: Treatment groups were comparable in baseline urinary mercury
concentration (~ 1.5 mug/L). Mean urinary mercury concentrations in
the amalgam group increased to a peak of ~ 3.2 mug/L at year 2 and
then declined to baseline levels by year 7 of follow-up.

There was a strong, positive association between urinary mercury and
both number of amalgam surfaces and time since placement. Girls had
significantly higher mean urinary mercury concentrations than boys
throughout the course of amalgam treatment. There were
no differences by race in urinary mercury concentration associated
with amalgam exposure.

CONCLUSIONS: Urinary mercury concentrations are highly correlated with
both number of amalgam fillings and time since placement in children.
Girls excrete significantly higher concentrations of mercury in the
urine than boys with comparable treatment, suggesting possible
sex-related differences in mercury handling and susceptibility to
mercury toxicity.

"Ilena Rose" wrote in message
...
http://ilenarose.blogspot.com
Health Lover

The contribution of dental amalgam to urinary mercury excretion in
children

Environ Health Perspect. 2007 Oct;115(10):1527-31. Woods JS, Martin
MD, Leroux BG, Derouen TA, Leitão JG, Bernardo MF, Luis HS, Simmonds
PL, Kushleika JV, Huang Y.

Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences,
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.

BACKGROUND: Urinary mercury concentrations are widely used as a
measure of mercury exposure from dental amalgam fillings. No studies
have evaluated the relationship of these measures in a longitudinal
context in children.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated urinary mercury in children 8-18 years of age
in relation to number of amalgam surfaces and time since placement
over a 7-year course of amalgam treatment.

METHODS: Five hundred seven children, 8-10 years of age at baseline,
participated in a clinical trial to evaluate the neurobehavioral
effects of dental amalgam in children. Subjects were randomized to
either dental amalgam or resin composite treatments. Urinary mercury
and creatinine concentrations were measured at baseline and annually
on all participants.

RESULTS: Treatment groups were comparable in baseline urinary mercury
concentration (~ 1.5 mug/L). Mean urinary mercury concentrations in
the amalgam group increased to a peak of ~ 3.2 mug/L at year 2 and
then declined to baseline levels by year 7 of follow-up.

There was a strong, positive association between urinary mercury and
both number of amalgam surfaces and time since placement. Girls had
significantly higher mean urinary mercury concentrations than boys
throughout the course of amalgam treatment. There were
no differences by race in urinary mercury concentration associated
with amalgam exposure.

CONCLUSIONS: Urinary mercury concentrations are highly correlated with
both number of amalgam fillings and time since placement in children.
Girls excrete significantly higher concentrations of mercury in the
urine than boys with comparable treatment, suggesting possible
sex-related differences in mercury handling and susceptibility to
mercury toxicity.

Dead horse flogging (was it was ever alive?).

Two recently published, prospective, randomised controlled trials have
assessed later neurological function in children having either amalgam
fillings or composite fillings and found no difference. Here they are.
Composite fillings also failed at a 50% higher rate than amalgam after about
five years.

1: JAMA. 2006 Apr 19;295(15):1775-83. Links
Comment in:
Evid Based Med. 2006 Dec;11(6):183.
JAMA. 2006 Apr 19;295(15):1835-6.
JAMA. 2006 Sep 27;296(12):1461; author reply 1461.
JAMA. 2006 Sep 27;296(12):1462; author reply 1462-3.
Neuropsychological and renal effects of dental amalgam in children: a
randomized clinical trial.
Bellinger DC, Trachtenberg F, Barregard L, Tavares M, Cernichiari E, Daniel
D, McKinlay S.
Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital Boston, and Harvard Medical
School, Boston, Mass, USA.

CONTEXT: No randomized trials have been published that address the concern
that inhalation of mercury vapor released by amalgam dental restorations
causes adverse health effects. OBJECTIVE: To compare the neuropsychological
and renal function of children whose dental caries were restored using
amalgam or mercury-free materials. DESIGN AND SETTING: The New England
Children's Amalgam Trial was a 2-group randomized safety trial involving 5
community health dental clinics in Boston, Mass, and 1 in Farmington, Me,
between September 1997 and March 2005. PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTION: A
total of 534 children aged 6 to 10 years at baseline with no prior amalgam
restorations and 2 or more posterior teeth with caries were randomly
assigned to receive dental restoration of baseline and incident caries
during a 5-year follow-up period using either amalgam (n=267) or resin
composite (n =267) materials. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary
neuropsychological outcome was 5-year change in full-scale IQ scores.
Secondary outcomes included tests of memory and visuomotor ability. Renal
glomerular function was measured by creatinine-adjusted albumin in urine.
RESULTS: Children had a mean of 15 tooth surfaces (median, 14) restored
during the 5-year period (range, 0-55). Assignment to the amalgam group was
associated with a significantly higher mean urinary mercury level (0.9 vs
0.6 microg/g of creatinine at year 5, P.001). After adjusting for
randomization stratum and other covariates, no statistically significant
differences were found between children in the amalgam and composite groups
in 5-year change in full-scale IQ score (3.1 vs 2.1, P = .21). The
difference in treatment group change scores was 1.0 (95% confidence
interval, -0.6 to 2.5) full-scale IQ score point. No statistically
significant differences were found for 4-year change in the general memory
index (8.1 vs 7.2, P = .34), 4-year change in visuomotor composite (3.8 vs
3.7, P = .93), or year 5 urinary albumin (median, 7.5 vs 7.4 mg/g of
creatinine, P = .61). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, there were no
statistically significant differences in adverse neuropsychological or renal
effects observed over the 5-year period in children whose caries were
restored using dental amalgam or composite materials. Although it is
possible that very small IQ effects cannot be ruled out, these findings
suggest that the health effects of amalgam restorations in children need not
be the basis of treatment decisions when choosing restorative dental
materials. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00065988.


1: JAMA. 2006 Apr 19;295(15):1784-92. Links
Comment in:
J Evid Based Dent Pract. 2006 Dec;6(4):280-2.
JAMA. 2006 Apr 19;295(15):1835-6.
JAMA. 2006 Sep 27;296(12):1461; author reply 1461.
JAMA. 2006 Sep 27;296(12):1462; author reply 1462-3.
Neurobehavioral effects of dental amalgam in children: a randomized clinical
trial.
DeRouen TA, Martin MD, Leroux BG, Townes BD, Woods JS, Leitão J,
Castro-Caldas A, Luis H, Bernardo M, Rosenbaum G, Martins IP.
Department of Dental Public Health Sciences, School of Dentistry, University
of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.

CONTEXT: Dental (silver) amalgam is a widely used restorative material
containing 50% elemental mercury that emits small amounts of mercury vapor.
No randomized clinical trials have determined whether there are significant
health risks associated with this low-level mercury exposure. OBJECTIVE: To
assess the safety of dental amalgam restorations in children. DESIGN: A
randomized clinical trial in which children requiring dental restorative
treatment were randomized to either amalgam for posterior restorations or
resin composite instead of amalgam. Enrollment commenced February 1997, with
annual follow-up for 7 years concluding in July 2005. SETTING AND
PARTICIPANTS: A total of 507 children in Lisbon, Portugal, aged 8 to 10
years with at least 1 carious lesion on a permanent tooth, no previous
exposure to amalgam, urinary mercury level 10 microg/L, blood lead level
15 microg/dL, Comprehensive Test of Nonverbal Intelligence IQ or =67, and
with no interfering health conditions. INTERVENTION: Routine,
standard-of-care dental treatment, with one group receiving amalgam
restorations for posterior lesions (n = 253) and the other group receiving
resin composite restorations instead of amalgam (n = 254). MAIN OUTCOME
MEASURES: Neurobehavioral assessments of memory, attention/concentration,
and motor/visuomotor domains, as well as nerve conduction velocities.
RESULTS: During the 7-year trial period, children had a mean of 18.7 tooth
surfaces (median, 16) restored in the amalgam group and 21.3 (median, 18)
restored in the composite group. Baseline mean creatinine-adjusted urinary
mercury levels were 1.8 microg/g in the amalgam group and 1.9 microg/g in
the composite group, but during follow-up were 1.0 to 1.5 microg/g higher in
the amalgam group than in the composite group (P.001). There were no
statistically significant differences in measures of memory, attention,
visuomotor function, or nerve conduction velocities (average z scores were
very similar, near zero) for the amalgam and composite groups over all 7
years of follow-up, with no statistically significant differences observed
at any time point (P values from .29 to .91). Starting at 5 years after
initial treatment, the need for additional restorative treatment was
approximately 50% higher in the composite group. CONCLUSIONS: In this study,
children who received dental restorative treatment with amalgam did not, on
average, have statistically significant differences in neurobehavioral
assessments or in nerve conduction velocity when compared with children who
received resin composite materials without amalgam. These findings, combined
with the trend of higher treatment need later among those receiving
composite, suggest that amalgam should remain a viable dental restorative
option for children. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier:
NCT00066118.

PM

"Ilena Rose" wrote in message
...
http://ilenarose.blogspot.com
Health Lover

The contribution of dental amalgam to urinary mercury excretion in
children

Environ Health Perspect. 2007 Oct;115(10):1527-31. Woods JS, Martin
MD, Leroux BG, Derouen TA, Leitão JG, Bernardo MF, Luis HS, Simmonds
PL, Kushleika JV, Huang Y.

Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences,
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.

BACKGROUND: Urinary mercury concentrations are widely used as a
measure of mercury exposure from dental amalgam fillings. No studies
have evaluated the relationship of these measures in a longitudinal
context in children.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated urinary mercury in children 8-18 years of age
in relation to number of amalgam surfaces and time since placement
over a 7-year course of amalgam treatment.

METHODS: Five hundred seven children, 8-10 years of age at baseline,
participated in a clinical trial to evaluate the neurobehavioral
effects of dental amalgam in children. Subjects were randomized to
either dental amalgam or resin composite treatments. Urinary mercury
and creatinine concentrations were measured at baseline and annually
on all participants.

RESULTS: Treatment groups were comparable in baseline urinary mercury
concentration (~ 1.5 mug/L). Mean urinary mercury concentrations in
the amalgam group increased to a peak of ~ 3.2 mug/L at year 2 and
then declined to baseline levels by year 7 of follow-up.

There was a strong, positive association between urinary mercury and
both number of amalgam surfaces and time since placement. Girls had
significantly higher mean urinary mercury concentrations than boys
throughout the course of amalgam treatment. There were
no differences by race in urinary mercury concentration associated
with amalgam exposure.

CONCLUSIONS: Urinary mercury concentrations are highly correlated with
both number of amalgam fillings and time since placement in children.
Girls excrete significantly higher concentrations of mercury in the
urine than boys with comparable treatment, suggesting possible
sex-related differences in mercury handling and susceptibility to
mercury toxicity.

Thanks for posting this, Ilena!

So this clarifies quite nicely why the boys are far more affected by autism,
as compared to girls. The boys retain more mercury!

Best,

Yuri.

Yuri Kuchinsky -- http://www.globalserve.net/~yuku

"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his
patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and
prevention of disease." -- Thomas Edison

Nope.

Most cases of autism are diagnosed way before any dental fillings
are performed.

Steve

So this clarifies quite nicely why the boys are far more affected by autism,
as compared to girls. The boys retain more mercury!

Best,

Yuri.

The point of this study just flew right over your head, didnt it!

Children are exposed to mercury in may diffrent ways, This study just
proved that
boys have a harder time excreting the mercury.


On Oct 27, 9:14 am, Steven Fawks wrote:
Nope.

Most cases of autism are diagnosed way before any dental fillings
are performed.

Steve



So this clarifies quite nicely why the boys are far more affected by autism,
as compared to girls. The boys retain more mercury!

Best,

Yuri.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Kevysmom wrote:
The point of this study just flew right over your head, didnt it!


I thought I'd somehow missed the point, so I looked again. This is the
stated objective:


OBJECTIVE: We evaluated urinary mercury in children 8-18 years of age
in relation to number of amalgam surfaces and time since placement
over a 7-year course of amalgam treatment.

There was indeed a SUGGESTION that there may be "sex-related
differences in mercury handling and susceptibility to
mercury toxicity", but this was an inference, and not the stated point
of the study.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

Steve



--
Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS
http://www.dentaltwins.com
Brooklyn, NY
718-258-5001

"Kevysmom" wrote in message
oups.com...
The point of this study just flew right over your head, didnt it!

Children are exposed to mercury in may diffrent ways, This study just
proved that
boys have a harder time excreting the mercury.



no no no no
It means that one should not drink chicken pee.

Amalgam Illness
Diagnosis and Treatment
A book on how to cure mercury poisoning
by Andrew Hall Cutler, PhD, PE


http://www.noamalgam.com/



On Oct 27, 1:37 pm, "Vernono O" Here @there wrote:
"Kevysmom" wrote in message

oups.com...

The point of this study just flew right over your head, didnt it!

Children are exposed to mercury in may diffrent ways, This study just
proved that
boys have a harder time excreting the mercury.

no no no no
It means that one should not drink chicken pee.

On Oct 27, 9:14 am, Steven Fawks wrote:
Nope.

Most cases of autism are diagnosed way before any dental fillings
are performed.

Steve


Really? As a representative of the ADA could you clarify how much
mercury
pregnant women pass on to the fetus during pregrancy from amalgams?

You might also be interested in a recent TV program (I think PBS) on
the
epi-genome, it is a set of "genes" which is not inherited but helps
express how
inherited genes are expressed. Here is a stunner, studies of rats show
that
damage to the epigenome from toxins, can be passed from generation to
generation unlike regular genes. Therefore it is entirely possible
that not only
the mercury exposure from amalgams during pregnancy but the mercury
exposure of the mother from amalgams BEFORE the mother was pregnant
could cause autism (depending on whether autism is linked with Hg
exposure)

Simplicio wrote:

Really? As a representative of the ADA could you clarify how much
mercury
pregnant women pass on to the fetus during pregrancy from amalgams?


Aren't you special.

I am not a representative of the ADA. I haven't used amalgam in
my office since 1985 (if you were old enough to know, it wasn't
popular at that time to make such a decision).

However, I have yet to see any health issue that could be attributed
to amalgam (whether placed properly, or just slopped in).

JM 28 years of E,

Steve Fawks