Consumers for Dental Choice
Encyclopedia
Consumers for Dental Choice (CDC), is a United States
nonprofit advocacy
and education
al group based in Washington, DC, that promotes access to mercury-free dentistry
and informed consent
before mercury amalgam
s are used for dental restoration
s. CDC was founded by consumer advocates, mercury poisoning
victims, scientists and mercury-free dentists in 1996.
is the group's concern that mercury amalgam is highly dangerous before being put in the mouth, and is again considered hazardous waste
upon removal, but that researchers indicates that up to 10 micrograms of mercury or more may leach from amalgams directly into the body each day. Dentist
s have been filling dental cavities with amalgams since the middle of the nineteenth century, and most dental associations and government agencies agree that the metallic mixtures (not alloy
s) are safe for use in dentistry.
The CDC is working to end the American Dental Association
's (ADA) alleged silencing of mercury-free dentists, and to put a stop to the ADA’s promotion of mercury amalgam under the deceptive term "silver". Often referred to as "silver fillings", amalgam dental restoration
s consist of mercury, silver
, tin
, copper
, and zinc
placed in the teeth of patients after a cavity is created or enlarged by drilling out decayed tooth enamel. Mercury is a toxic heavy metal
, and even small amounts can damage cells.
The ADA supports the continued use of mercury in fillings, and has stated that Dental amalgam (silver filling) is considered a safe, affordable and durable material that has been used to restore the teeth of more than 100 million Americans... It contains a mixture of metals such as silver, copper and tin, in addition to mercury, which chemically binds these components into a hard, stable and safe substance. Dental amalgam has been studied and reviewed extensively, and has established a record of safety and effectiveness.
, and legislators including Diane Watson
(D-CA.) and Congressman Dan Burton
(R-IN), Consumers for Dental Choice has called for an investigation of the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) for giving out false and deceptive information about mercury dental fillings, for not issuing warnings to pregnant women, and for failure to advise consumers that dental filling amalgam is mainly mercury. According to the CDC website, the FDA has remained in violation of the law by refusing to issue an environmental impact statement
on the largest source of mercury in wastewater
, by refusing to classify mercury amalgam in order to allow it to be sold, and for having a sham classification system in which mercury amalgam is depicted as 'substantially equivalent' to a non-mercury alloy.http://www.toxicteeth.org/natcamp_fedgovt_investigate_fda.cfm Four other nonprofit advocacy groups have filed suit against the FDA (Moms Against Mercury v. Leavitt, before the US Court of Appeals, Washington, DC). In 2007 , however, the appeals court dismissed the suit on jurisdictional grounds.http://cases.justia.com/us-court-of-appeals/F3/483/824/
petition against the ADA for a perceived threat that the largest professional association of dentists has made to reduce dental services in Maine
if the state bans mercury fillings. Charles G. Brown, the national counsel for CDC, said "We must challenge the ADA for coming into Maine in full force and raising the specter of reduced dental care," adding that a third of American dentists no longer use any mercury fillings, and over two-thirds of all the fillings used in the U.S. are now mercury-free, so there is no reason for anyone to be denied service just because a state decides it needs to cut down on the mercury pollution that the older fillings cause. The president of the ADA has stated that, if Maine prohibits mercury fillings, "The result will be treatment delayed, treatment denied, and treatment never being sought. That is not a situation the dentists of Maine, the United States, or our policymakers can be willing to accept."http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=45691
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
nonprofit advocacy
Advocacy
Advocacy is a political process by an individual or a large group which normally aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions; it may be motivated from moral, ethical or faith principles or simply to protect an...
and education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
al group based in Washington, DC, that promotes access to mercury-free dentistry
Dentistry
Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...
and informed consent
Informed consent
Informed consent is a phrase often used in law to indicate that the consent a person gives meets certain minimum standards. As a literal matter, in the absence of fraud, it is redundant. An informed consent can be said to have been given based upon a clear appreciation and understanding of the...
before mercury amalgam
Amalgam (dentistry)
Amalgam is an alloy containing mercury. The term is commonly used for the amalgam employed as material for dental fillings, which consists of mercury , silver , tin , copper , and other trace metals...
s are used for dental restoration
Dental restoration
A dental restoration or dental filling is a dental restorative material used to restore the function, integrity and morphology of missing tooth structure. The structural loss typically results from caries or external trauma. It is also lost intentionally during tooth preparation to improve the...
s. CDC was founded by consumer advocates, mercury poisoning
Mercury poisoning
Mercury poisoning is a disease caused by exposure to mercury or its compounds. Mercury is a heavy metal occurring in several forms, all of which can produce toxic effects in high enough doses...
victims, scientists and mercury-free dentists in 1996.
Dental amalgam controversy
The objectives of CDC include educating the public about the health and environmental dangers of mercury dental fillings, and ensuring more effective government oversight of amalgams used in dentistry. At the heart of the CDC's involvement in the dental amalgam controversyDental amalgam controversy
The dental amalgam controversy refers to the conflicting views over the use of amalgam as a filling material mainly because it contains the element mercury...
is the group's concern that mercury amalgam is highly dangerous before being put in the mouth, and is again considered hazardous waste
Hazardous waste
A hazardous waste is waste that poses substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment. According to the U.S. environmental laws hazardous wastes fall into two major categories: characteristic wastes and listed wastes.Characteristic hazardous wastes are materials that are known...
upon removal, but that researchers indicates that up to 10 micrograms of mercury or more may leach from amalgams directly into the body each day. Dentist
Dentist
A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services...
s have been filling dental cavities with amalgams since the middle of the nineteenth century, and most dental associations and government agencies agree that the metallic mixtures (not alloy
Alloy
An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal history...
s) are safe for use in dentistry.
The CDC is working to end the American Dental Association
American Dental Association
The American Dental Association is an American professional association established in 1859 which has more than 155,000 members. Based in Chicago, the ADA is the world's largest and oldest national dental association and promotes good oral health to the public while representing the dental...
's (ADA) alleged silencing of mercury-free dentists, and to put a stop to the ADA’s promotion of mercury amalgam under the deceptive term "silver". Often referred to as "silver fillings", amalgam dental restoration
Dental restoration
A dental restoration or dental filling is a dental restorative material used to restore the function, integrity and morphology of missing tooth structure. The structural loss typically results from caries or external trauma. It is also lost intentionally during tooth preparation to improve the...
s consist of mercury, silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
, copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, and zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
placed in the teeth of patients after a cavity is created or enlarged by drilling out decayed tooth enamel. Mercury is a toxic heavy metal
Heavy metals
A heavy metal is a member of a loosely-defined subset of elements that exhibit metallic properties. It mainly includes the transition metals, some metalloids, lanthanides, and actinides. Many different definitions have been proposed—some based on density, some on atomic number or atomic weight,...
, and even small amounts can damage cells.
The ADA supports the continued use of mercury in fillings, and has stated that Dental amalgam (silver filling) is considered a safe, affordable and durable material that has been used to restore the teeth of more than 100 million Americans... It contains a mixture of metals such as silver, copper and tin, in addition to mercury, which chemically binds these components into a hard, stable and safe substance. Dental amalgam has been studied and reviewed extensively, and has established a record of safety and effectiveness.
Call for investigation of the FDA
Along with other advocacy groups, such as the International Academy of Oral Medicine and ToxicologyInternational Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology
The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology is formally chartered as a Canadian non-profit corporation, representing dental, medical and research professionals who advocate mercury-free dentistry, the safe removal of mercury dental fillings, and improved standards for dental...
, and legislators including Diane Watson
Diane Watson
Diane Edith Watson is a former US Representative for , serving from 2003 until 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party...
(D-CA.) and Congressman Dan Burton
Dan Burton
Danny "Dan" Lee Burton is the U.S. Representative for , and previously the , serving since 1983. He is a member of the Republican Party....
(R-IN), Consumers for Dental Choice has called for an investigation of the Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
(FDA) for giving out false and deceptive information about mercury dental fillings, for not issuing warnings to pregnant women, and for failure to advise consumers that dental filling amalgam is mainly mercury. According to the CDC website, the FDA has remained in violation of the law by refusing to issue an environmental impact statement
Environmental impact statement
An environmental impact statement , under United States environmental law, is a document required by the National Environmental Policy Act for certain actions "significantly affecting the quality of the human environment". An EIS is a tool for decision making...
on the largest source of mercury in wastewater
Wastewater
Wastewater is any water that has been adversely affected in quality by anthropogenic influence. It comprises liquid waste discharged by domestic residences, commercial properties, industry, and/or agriculture and can encompass a wide range of potential contaminants and concentrations...
, by refusing to classify mercury amalgam in order to allow it to be sold, and for having a sham classification system in which mercury amalgam is depicted as 'substantially equivalent' to a non-mercury alloy.http://www.toxicteeth.org/natcamp_fedgovt_investigate_fda.cfm Four other nonprofit advocacy groups have filed suit against the FDA (Moms Against Mercury v. Leavitt, before the US Court of Appeals, Washington, DC). In 2007 , however, the appeals court dismissed the suit on jurisdictional grounds.http://cases.justia.com/us-court-of-appeals/F3/483/824/
Litigation
CDC has filed suit against a number of organizations and government health agencies, such as an antitrustAntitrust
The United States antitrust law is a body of laws that prohibits anti-competitive behavior and unfair business practices. Antitrust laws are intended to encourage competition in the marketplace. These competition laws make illegal certain practices deemed to hurt businesses or consumers or both,...
petition against the ADA for a perceived threat that the largest professional association of dentists has made to reduce dental services in Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
if the state bans mercury fillings. Charles G. Brown, the national counsel for CDC, said "We must challenge the ADA for coming into Maine in full force and raising the specter of reduced dental care," adding that a third of American dentists no longer use any mercury fillings, and over two-thirds of all the fillings used in the U.S. are now mercury-free, so there is no reason for anyone to be denied service just because a state decides it needs to cut down on the mercury pollution that the older fillings cause. The president of the ADA has stated that, if Maine prohibits mercury fillings, "The result will be treatment delayed, treatment denied, and treatment never being sought. That is not a situation the dentists of Maine, the United States, or our policymakers can be willing to accept."http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=45691
External links
- ToxicTeeth.org - 'Working Toward Mercury-Free Dentistry' (Consumers for Dental Choice homepage)
- NewMediaExplorer.org - 'FDA Sued: Regulate Toxic Mercury 'Silver' Dental Fillings', Sepp Hasslberger (June 14, 2006)
- Dental Watch - 'Consumers for Dental Choice: A Critical Look'