November 14, 2002

Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, thank you on behalf of the American Dental Association (ADA) for inviting us to testify today. The ADA is very pleased to speak to the safety and efficacy of dental amalgam and the Association's position that every dental patient should have an opportunity to make an informed choice about his or her dental treatment options.

If the Association believed that dental amalgam posed a threat to the health of dental patients, we would advise our members to stop using it. But the best and latest available scientific evidence indicates that it is safe. Banning amalgam would deprive patients and dentists of an essential treatment option that is clinically and scientifically substantiated to be safe and effective.

The ultimate decision about what filling materials to use is best determined by the patient in consultation with the dentist. Toward that end, the ADA has developed a chart that compares restorative dental materials. The chart provides easily understood comparative information on thirteen distinct factors, including durability, clinical considerations, leakage and recurrent decay, and resistance to wear and fracture. This information sheet has been widely circulated through ADA publications.

Rep. Diane Watson (D-Calif.) in April introduced H.R. 4163, the Mercury in Dental Filling Disclosure and Prohibition Act, which would ban the use of dental amalgam by 2007. Congresswoman Watson's attempt to ban dental amalgam because of concern for patient safety flies in the face of accepted scientific information about the safety of dental amalgam.

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Page Updated: November 14, 2002

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