§ Mr. BarronTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has conducted or commissioned concerning the effects of amalgam fillings on the human body; what have been the results or conclusions of such research; and what plans she has to commission or conduct such research in the future.
§ Mr. MaloneThe Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment advised in 1986 that the use of dental amalgam is free from the risk of systemic toxicity and that only a few cases of hypersensitivity occur. The subsequent research findings, and recent evaluations by several authoritative national and international expert committees are consistent with that advice. The Department of Health will continue to assess and evaluate all research in this area.
§ Mr. ThurnhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average number of dental fillings in(a) 12-year-old children and (b) eight-year-old children in each district health authority in England.
§ Mr. MaloneThe preliminary results of the 1993 children's dental health survey show that the average number of filled teeth in permanent dentition was 0.7 for a 12-year-old and 0.1 for an eight-year-old. Information from this survey is not published at district health authority level. However, the 1992–93 survey by the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry of dental caries experience of 12-year-old children provides information on the number of filled teeth for 12-year-old children by district health authority. Copies of the results of the survey will be placed in the Library.