Dental Amalgam Fillings and Multiple Sclerosis: A Nationwide Population-Based Case–Control Study in Taiwan

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory neurological disease characterized by autoimmune-mediated demyelination of the central nervous system. Genetic and environmental factors may contribute to the development of MS. This has not been confirmed yet. Dental amalgam has long been controversial in MS due to its mercury content but the toxicological implications of mercury-containing amalgam fillings (AMF) for MS remain to be elucidated. We conducted a case–control study to investigate the association between AMF and the risk of MS from the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). Case (n = 612) and control (n = 612) groups were matched by sex, age, urbanization level, monthly income, and Charlson comorbidity index by propensity score matched with a 1:1 ratio from 2000 to 2013. Differences between cases and controls was not statistically significant (OR: 0.82, 95% CI = 0.65–1.05). In subjects stratified by gender, MS was also not associated with AMF for women (OR: 0.743, 95% CI = 0.552–1.000) and men (OR: 1.006, 95% CI = 0.670–1.509), respectively. In summary, this Taiwanese nationwide population-based case–control study did not find an association between MS and AMF.

Increased Risk of Migraine in Patients with Chronic Periodontitis: A Population-Based Cohort Study

“…The LHID2010 incorporates 1 million patients’ insurance claims data from the total of 23 million Taiwan NHI beneficiaries in the year 2010. There are no demographic characteristic differences between the LHID2010 and the original NHIRD [ 16 , 17 ]. The LHID2010 contains the most updated claims data of sampled individuals from 1997.…”

Annual review of selected scientific literature: A report of the Committee on Scientific Investigation of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry

“…A large case-control study investigated the association between amalgam fillings and the risk of multiple sclerosis in participants that were part of the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database. 321 Two groups of propensity-matched individuals (612 in each group) were compared, and no significant association could be found for risk of MS between those with and those without amalgam restorations (OR, 0.82; 95% CI: 0.65-1.05). Stratification by sex also did not reveal any significant association.…”

Assessment of the Impact of Dental Amalgam on Human Health: A Literature Review

“…Niezwykle zasmuca fakt, iż mimo podpisania konwencji przez 128 krajów większość z nich nie wprowadziła w życie żadnych zmian w tym zakresie. Światowa Organizacja Zdrowia twierdzi, iż nie istnieje bezpieczny poziom rtęci, a sukcesywne wycofywanie amalgamatu dentystycznego może stanowić duże wyzwanie w krajach słabo rozwiniętych ze względu na niskie dochody, brak wykwalifikowanego personelu dentystycznego oraz wysoki wskaźnik próchnicy [1][2][3]6,[8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Agencja Ochrony Środowiska Stanów Zjednoczonych wysnuła, że akceptowalną dzienną dawką metylortęci jest 0,1 µg/kg dziennie [15].…”