HALIFAX , Nova Scotia, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- A Canadian expert on dental materials denounced Norway's new dental mercury regulations as a bad example for other nations.
Derek Jones, a professor emeritus of biomaterials at Dalhousie University in Halifax and chairman of the International Standards Organization's Technical Committee on Dentistry, says the regulations affect the use of dental amalgam -- a composite of mercury and metals such as silver.
In an editorial, published in the Journal of Dental Research, Jones says there is no conclusive evidence to support claims of neurological disorders or impaired kidney function linked to the mercury used in dentistry.
"For the past 20 years, the public has been bombarded by sensational, confusing, and misleading media reports about health issues related to dental amalgam," Jones says in a statement.
"It is important that governments adhere to scientific principles and base health and environmental policies on sound scientific knowledge. Dentistry is an applied science and needs to bring issues such those dealing with dental amalgam to the attention of governments."
