Occupational mercury exposure in association with prevalence of multiple sclerosis and tremor among US dentists

Anglen, Julia; Gruninger, Stephen E.; Chou, Hwai Nan; Weuve, Jennifer; Turyk, Mary E.; Freels, Sally; Stayner, Leslie T.

doi:10.1016/j.adaj.2015.05.016

Cited by 23 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Similar trends have been observed elsewhere, such as in German children (Link et al. 2007) and among U.S. dental professionals (Anglen et al. 2015; Goodrich et al.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

A State-of-the-Science Review of Mercury Biomarkers in Human Populations Worldwide between 2000 and 2018

Basu

Horvat

Evers

et al. 2018

Environ Health Perspect

175

111

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Background:The Minamata Convention on Mercury provided a mandate for action against global mercury pollution. However, our knowledge of mercury exposures is limited because there are many regions and subpopulations with little or no data.Objective:We aimed to increase worldwide understanding of human exposures to mercury by collecting, collating, and analyzing mercury concentrations in biomarker samples reported in the published scientific literature.Method:A systematic search of the peer-reviewed scientific literature was performed using three databases. A priori search strategy, eligibility criteria, and data extraction steps were used to identify relevant studies.Results:We collected 424,858 mercury biomarker measurements from 335,991 individuals represented in 312 articles from 75 countries. General background populations with insignificant exposures have blood, hair, and urine mercury levels that generally fall under 5μg/L, 2 μg/g, and 3 μg/L, respectively. We identified four populations of concern: a) Arctic populations who consume fish and marine mammals; b) tropical riverine communities (especially Amazonian) who consume fish and in some cases may be exposed to mining; c) coastal and/or small-island communities who substantially depend on seafood; and d) individuals who either work or reside among artisanal and small-scale gold mining sites.Conclusions:This review suggests that all populations worldwide are exposed to some amount of mercury and that there is great variability in exposures within and across countries and regions. There remain many geographic regions and subpopulations with limited data, thus hindering evidence-based decision making. This type of information is critical in helping understand exposures, particularly in light of certain stipulations in the Minamata Convention on Mercury. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP3904

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“…Similar trends have been observed elsewhere, such as in German children (Link et al. 2007) and among U.S. dental professionals (Anglen et al. 2015; Goodrich et al.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

A State-of-the-Science Review of Mercury Biomarkers in Human Populations Worldwide between 2000 and 2018

Basu

Horvat

Evers

et al. 2018

Environ Health Perspect

175

111

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“…Dentists with less than 30 years of experience displayed more stress. Lack of experience, low income, uncooperative patients, and dental procedurerelated factors were the main significant factors that caused stress Occupational mercury exposure in association with prevalence of multiple sclerosis and tremor among US dentists 15) 13902 dentists Investigative 0.18% reported MS and 1.24% reported tremor.…”

Section: 4%-lower Backmentioning

confidence: 99%

The prevalence of occupational health-related problems in dentistry: A review of the literature

Moodley

Naidoo

Wyk

2018

Journal of Occupational Health

103

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The study was conducted to report on the scope and prevalence of occupational health related-problems experienced by dentists, dental therapists, and oral hygienists in their practice of dentistry. Background: Professional practice and dental training have many risk factors, and the dental team should be able to recognize these factors to protect themselves. The prevalence of conditions related to the musculoskeletal system, stress, percutaneous injuries, ears, and eyes are of concern. The dental team should also not forget hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV as risks in practice. Dental practitioners should protect themselves by self-recognizing risk factors and by maintaining proper working conditions. Methods: The study targeted all empirical research, case studies, and systematic literature reviews written in English. All articles selected were subjected to a data analysis process. Data were captured on an Excel spreadsheet and reported in a comprehensive table. Results: The literature addressing occupational health among dental practitioners included mainly cross-sectional studies and review papers (2001-2016). Forty-nine studies were included in the review. Musculoskeletal disorders remain the most researched occupational health-related problems in dentistry. Eye protection compliance was low among practitioners. Percutaneous injuries especially among young dentists and students were still a concern. Conclusion: Occupational health-related problems are still prevalent in current dentistry practice, despite changes in equipment and surgery design. The reported prevalence of occupational related-health problems and other findings of investigative studies highlight the need for continuous professional education and a need to improve clinical practice aspects of dentistry curricula.

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“…Occupational exposure to elemental mercury vapor in a dental setting is primarily through inhalation during the preparation, insertion, polishing, and removal of amalgam fillings, including storage of amalgam waste before disposal [24]. Occupational elemental mercury exposure in dentists could be responsible for the higher on average prevalence of MS in dentists than that in the general population in the USA [25]. Mercury vapor levels in ambient air could exceed the maximum acceptable value during the removal of amalgam in artificial teeth when no water spray or suction is used [26].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Tseng

Chen

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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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.

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Occupational mercury exposure in association with prevalence of multiple sclerosis and tremor among US dentists

Cited by 23 publications

References 42 publications

A State-of-the-Science Review of Mercury Biomarkers in Human Populations Worldwide between 2000 and 2018

A State-of-the-Science Review of Mercury Biomarkers in Human Populations Worldwide between 2000 and 2018

The prevalence of occupational health-related problems in dentistry: A review of the literature

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

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