Call for probe into safety of dental fillings

AN Oldham Euro-MP is calling for the use of mercury fillings by local dentists to be reviewed after the world’s top drug regulatory agency suggested they may pose a health risk.

Chris Davies said mercury is used in amalgam fillings. Around 125 tons of mercury is used each year in dental treatments in the EU alone.

Recent studies have suggested that mercury fillings may have detrimental affects on the health of some patients. Reported side effects include impaired kidney and thyroid function, increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other allergic reactions.

But after years of insisting the fillings are safe, he says, the US government’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a health warning about them.

The FDA is now reviewing its rules and may end up restricting or banning the use of the metal.

Liberal Democrat Mr Davies, who was assured by the European Commission four years ago that mercury fillings were safe, said there needs to be a new examination of the safety concerns.

Mr Davies has asked the EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou to reconsider the evidence.

He said: “I am keeping an open mind on this subject. But it does seem strange that we should be banning mercury from electrical goods while still allowing it to be put into people’s mouths.”