Two years ago, Pediatrics published a study on “Bisphenol A and Related Compounds in Dental Materials,” which confirmed that some sealants and composite (white) fillings release BPA. Here’s what one pediatric dentist and dental professor had to say about it at the time:
People shouldn’t be scared by this….The amount of exposure is extremely low. And the layer that contains BPA can be wiped off with cotton or rinsed off with a stream of water that can then be suctioned away by the dental assistant.
Here’s what that same dentist had to say this week about a study suggesing a link between BPA release and behavioral issues:
“This study raises enough concern about the alternative of amalgam to revisit the value of amalgam,” Edelstein said. There is no reason at this point to be concerned about the health effects of amalgam, or the stainless steel crowns that are sometimes placed on top of a tooth with a cavity, he added.
Wait. It gets better.
What the study found was a slight, though consistent, difference in behavior scores between those with BPA composite and those with other materials. But, as Reuters reported,
the effect was small, and the lead researcher was quick to point out that her team didn’t measure BPA levels in particular – and had no way of knowing if any other chemicals were leaching out of the fillings. [emphasis added]
More, it wasn’t just those kids with mercury amalgam fillings that showed no drop in behavior scores but also those with non-BPA composite.
Yet amalgam is the way to go?
Contrary to the good doctor’s claim, there’s plenty of documented reason for concern. Granted, most research is focused on adults, but with good reason.
Those proven health risks are worth preventing a score “two to six points” (of 100) lower on a behavior assessment? Even when there are non-toxic, biocompatible options available?
We don’t think so. For, as we wrote before, “while all amalgam fillings contain mercury, not all composites contain BPA.”
Mercury vs. BPA? (Part 1)
More on the troubles with sealants. And more.
The post Strange Faith (or Mercury vs. BPA?, Part 2) appeared first on Gary M. Verigin, DDS, inc..