Banning Amalgam Would Raise Dental Costs

The Journal of Public Health reports that the economic impact in banning amalgam restorations would increase the dental care costs by $8.2 BILLION in the first year alone. Dental amalgam contains a mixture of metals, including mercury, which combine to form a stable alloy that dentist have used safely for more than 150 years! Numerous peer-reviewed scientific studies, including those published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, attest to amalgam's safety and efficacy, leading health experts to recommend its continued use for treating dental decay.

For years, a small group of dental activists have called on state and federal governments to ban amalgams, claiming with no credible scientific basis that mercury in the fillings causes systemic diseases. The ADA and numerous state, national, and international health authorities oppose such proposals. Dr. L. Jackson Brown, former ADA managing vice president for health policy, notes that dental care would cost more and dental decay would go left untreated due to the increased cost. This impact would fall disproportionately on the largest disadvantaged populations. Dr. Brown's study, "Economic Impact of Regulating the Use of Amalgam Restorations," was funded by the ADA and the California Dental Association.

It should be noted that as of January 2008, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark have announced a ban on dental mercury fillings that went into effect on April 1. Insurance companies in Sweden have not paid for amalgam fillings since 1999. This ban goes in the face of the recent International Science Committee report from London that states "Amalgam poses no health risk" and that there is no clinical justification for removing amalgam restorations. The report was prepared by the Directorate- General for Health and Consumer Protection of the European Commission.