Mercury-containing dental fillings remain controversial in medical community

AMMAN — The use of silver dental fillings containing mercury, which are believed to pose health threats to children under the age of 12, remain a debated topic within the medical community,

Tooth restoration, or getting dental fillings, is a common dental procedure. However, the safety of silver fillings, also known as dental amalgam, remains a concern for many medical professionals.

Azem Qaddoumi, president of Jordan Dental Association (JDA), told The Jordan Times that silver fillings are considered safe for people above the age of 15. However, their use continues to be a contentious issue.

Qaddoumi explained that dental amalgam is a mixture of liquid mercury, and a powdered alloy made up of silver, tin and copper.

“Elemental mercury makes up about 50 per cent of dental amalgam,” Qaddoumi said. 

Two western countries have completely banned the use of amalgam fillings for patients, and many have banned its use for children, said Qaddoumi. 

“The use of silver fillings remains debatable. However, the majority of private sector dentists don’t use amalgam fillings,” Qaddoumi added.  

The JDA president also noted that the manufacturing process of amalgam is harmful to the environment.

 “Some western countries have refrained from using amalgam because of its immense harm to the environment,” Qaddoumi said.

The process of treating mercury inside a clinic can be harmful if the amalgam vapour spreads in the air and is inhaled by either the patient or the dentist, he added.

However, current dental practices involve placing the mercury inside capsules, which are then put in a device that “shakes” the mixture and then places the amalgam into the patient’s mouth, he said.

“Currently, there is no scientific evidence that supports the removal of dental amalgams as curative. If you already have amalgam fillings, it can be more harmful to remove them,” dentist Sahem Hamada, told The Jordan Times.

Dentists do not currently recommend removing silver fillings because of the mercury vapour released upon removal, Hamada added.

However, dentists also do not prefer to use amalgam fillings to fill cavities caused by tooth decay, especially for younger patients, due to their associated health concerns, he  said. 

“We have safer and non-controversial alternatives that we can use,” the dentist added. 

However, silver fillings are more durable and more cost-efficient, according to Hamada. 

A source at the Ministry of Health who preferred to remain anonymous told The Jordan Times that dentists at the ministry continue to use silver fillings.