§ Mrs. BallardTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment his Department has made of the findings of the EU ad hoc committee on dental amalgam; and what is its response; [32827]
(2) what representations he has received on the use of mercury in dental amalgam fillings; and if he will make a statement. [32825]
§ Mr. MilburnThe Department occasionally receives inquiries about the safety of dental amalgam. When the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) considered the matter in 1986 they advised that the use of dental amalgam was free from risk of systemic toxicity. COT has now reviewed the draft report which the European Commission commissioned from European Economic Area member states and we shall publish their advice shortly.
§ Mrs. BallardTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice his Department issues to dentists on the contra-indications for use of mercury in dental amalgam fillings. [32826]
§ Mr. MilburnIn the rare instances where a patient is hypersensitive to amalgam, a general dental practitioner may seek permission from the Dental Practice Board to use an alternative filling material in the back teeth.