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this makes me very very nervous (article about endocrine disorders and dentistry)From: Alicia (anonymous@obgyn.net)Thu, 7 Jun 2001 14:43:41 -0500 (CDT)
A shiver went through my spine when I read this article. I had dental sealants put on my teeth at around 10 years old. How will I ever find out if that had something to do with the PCOS of later years? http://www.msnbc.com/news/583731.asp Q: My 5-year-old daughter doesn’t have any cavities yet, but her dentist says there are some dark spots on two of her teeth that might turn into cavities. She recommended a protective sealant, but I’ve heard that this might be an endocrine disruptor. Should I let the dentist do it? A: As parents, you’re probably aware that children are particularly prone to cavities. Blame those sugary, sticky and cavity-forming foods that seem to be a staple of childhood and teenage diets, but also youthful physiology. In the years from age 6 to puberty, children’s teeth are rapidly developing, so pits and fissures are more likely to form and trap food particles, according to dental research. In the war against dental disorders, it’s not easy for parents to compete against candy and other scourges. And while cleanliness is next to godliness, in the worldly battles of parenthood, brushing and flossing seem to require divine intervention. So what parent could object to a preventive device to help them in their fight against tooth decay? Enter the “dental sealant,” designed to give a layer of protection to tooth enamel. Not really a new treatment at all, dental sealants were introduced in the early 1970s and were being used on a mass scale by early 1980s, according Dr. Kenneth Burrell, senior director of the Council on Scientific Affairs at the American Dental Association. Sealants are applied to the chewing surfaces of teeth, especially pre-molars and molars, where decay most often occurs. While adults can get sealants too, they are usually used in children, particularly those prone to cavities, in the vulnerable years when their teeth are developing. Today, about 20 percent of children are treated with them, the ADA says. When your child sits in the dentist’s chair having the sealant applied, the plastic material is placed on the biting surface of the back teeth. The teeth have been cleansed and conditioned so the sealant can adhere to it, says Burrell. “The material either sets by itself or is cured with a light that speeds the (polymerization) process to make the material harden,” he says. ARE THEY SAFE? Are these sealants safe to apply to a very young person’s mouth? Most dental sealants are made of a plastic called bisphenol A diglycidylether methacrylate (Bis-GMA). This, in turn, is made from a raw material called bisphenol-A BPA, used to make hard plastic items such as compact discs and eyeglasses. There was never any concern until 1996, when a research team at the University of Granada in Spain found that the sealants released BPA into the saliva and the mouth. The findings were confirmed in another study published in January 2000 in the same journal, Environmental Health Perspectives. A building block of polycarbonate plastics and other materials, BPA is a so-called endocrine disruptor that has been shown to trigger estrogen-like effects in the test tube and laboratory rodents. Healthy Issues Join the conversation • MSNBC Health Discussion Board And endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which inhibit the action of hormones or alter their regulatory functions, have been linked to breast cancer and endometriosis in women, reduced fertility and testicular and prostate cancers in men, and immune suppression and neurobehavioral effects in both sexes, according to a recent report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. ADA INVESTIGATION Meanwhile, ADA began doing its own research to test dental sealants used in the United States. After its work was published in the Journal of the American Dental Association in January 2000, ADA wrote, “Of the 12 brands of dental sealants that currently carry the ADA Seal of Acceptance, 11 of the 12 materials leached no detectable BPA on first analysis.” The manufacturer of the sole sealant found to leach trace amounts was contacted and instituted better quality control measures, said ADA. In other trials of the sealant on human subjects, some BPA was found in saliva immediately after the procedure, but was not detectable after several hours. AdvertisementPrescription for Nutritional Healing Everybody’s Guide to Homeopathic Medecine The Complete Illustrated Herbal Based on these findings, and other work since, ADA has concluded that U.S.-made sealants present no hazard. MOST DENTISTS DON’T WORRY Most dentists don’t worry about it. “I’m satisfied with what studies following the initial Spanish study have found and feel that they’re enough to quell doubts,” says Jeffrey Parrish, a practicing dentist in Sammamish, Wash., and president of the Washington State Dental Association. “While there may be some tiny, minuscule risk in putting the resin on initially, some little layer of uncured resin to worry about, the preventive benefits to my mind far outweigh those risks,” he says. That’s because not applying the sealant leaves patients open to the need for more intrusive and expensive work later, he says. “If there is a minimal risk from the sealant, and I’m not saying there even is one, [it needs to be weighed against] the risks of leaving them prone to cavities, which means having to fill the cavity,” notes Parrish. That usually means a “silver filling,” which is really half mercury, a neurotoxin, or composites made of the same material as sealants, or more expensive options such as porcelain, ceramic or gold that are less likely to be covered by insurance. “I’m not saying there are risks with this [mercury], but sealants have greatly diminished the need for fillings,” Parrish says. A CALL FOR MORE RESEARCH Given bisphenol-A’s hormonal activity at low doses, however, some critics say it makes sense to study the sealants for health effects. “The risk assessment for these chemicals has not been properly done,” charges Frederick Vom Saal, a biology professor at the University of Missouri and a leading researcher in the field of developmental biology. Vom Saal points to a National Toxicology Program’s May 2001 study on low-dose effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. That research found that bisphenol-A appears to produce adverse effects in test animals at levels below those scientists had previously determined to be safe, he says. Dr. Ted Schettler, of the Science and Environmental Health Network, agrees there is a need for further research. “I don’t think there’s any question that it deserves more attention — like lots of other industrial chemicals that have potential endocrine-disrupting properties,” he says. For Vom Saal, two main questions remain: how efficiently the plastic polymerizes, so that the resin does not leach afterward; and secondly, the effects of the plastic degrading with chewing and wear and tear. “We know,” he says, “from looking at polycarbonate bottles, that they start to degrade as they age.” Kids who have received the sealant should be watched for later health effects, he says. What happens to the degraded plastic as it enters a child’s mouth and goes down his or her throat? “It would probably be inert at that point,” says ADA’s Burrell. “But I really don’t know. That’s a good question.” CUT OUT THE SUGAR If parents feel their child is so prone to cavities that he would benefit from such a treatment, they should at least insist on the best quality control in the product and care from the dentist in applying it, says Vom Saal. And, he cautions, “Think twice about having it applied to your baby’s teeth.” Some dentists suggest that parents worried about their children’s dental health try altering their kids’ diets, cutting down on their sugar intake, for example. But if that doesn’t work and/or sealants have been recommended for your child, tell the dentist your concerns, says Burrell. “Most dentists would be happy to provide information about the various brands of sealant. And make sure it’s ADA-approved.”
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