CHAMPIONSGATE, Fla., Nov. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT) is calling attention to an important new study, titled “Dental Amalgams and Blood Mercury Concentrations in US Adults.” The study provides compelling evidence that mercury amalgam dental fillings raise blood mercury levels to dangerous levels, and that the blood is a major route for the distribution of mercury in the body.
A relic of a bygone era, dental amalgam has been used for over 150 years in US dentistry to repair decayed teeth and contains 50% toxic elemental mercury, which turns into inorganic mercury once it enters the body. Data from the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) show that approximately 104 million Americans have mercury amalgam dental fillings.
The study analyzed data from the CDC’s 2015–2016 NHANES survey, using blood mercury measurements from US adults aged 18–70 to estimate exposure in 180 million Americans.
The study revealed that adults with amalgam fillings have significantly higher blood levels of inorganic mercury than those without. The number of amalgam surfaces is strongly correlated with elevated blood mercury levels, with an estimated 16 million adults exposed to daily doses of mercury vapor that exceed the US EPA’s safety limit.
The research also highlights blood as a key pathway for mercury vapor from dental fillings to accumulate in tissues and cells throughout the body, highlighting serious health risks, especially for vulnerable groups. Recent studies have linked mercury amalgam exposure to increased risks of asthma, arthritis, hearing loss, neurological disorders and perinatal death.
In 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning that mercury vapor from dental amalgam fillings may pose risks to high-risk groups, including pregnant women and their fetuses, nursing mothers, children under the age of six, people with mercury allergies, and people with neurological or kidney damage.
“The evidence is incontrovertible – mercury amalgam fillings are a public health crisis, poisoning millions of Americans with unsafe levels of mercury,” said Dr. Douglas Green, IAOMT President. “We urgently call on the FDA to ban these harmful fillers in order to ensure public health.”
Additionally, the study urges people with amalgams seeking to lower their blood mercury levels to consult with a healthcare professional trained and certified in a safe amalgam removal protocol. Dental amalgam removal creates unsafe levels of mercury. In order to reduce mercury exposures, the IAOMT trains and certifies dentists in the Safe Mercury Amalgam Removal Technique (SMART).
Patients and dental professionals can access resources about biological dentistry as well as a directory of IAOMT biological dentists who are SMART certified at IAOMT.org.
About IAOMT:
The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT) is a global non-profit organization dedicated to promoting safe and biocompatible dental practices. Composed of dentists, scientists and fellow professionals, the IAOMT provides evidence-based education, research and support to improve the oral health and overall well-being of patients worldwide.
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