Friday, June 4, 2010

Bisphenol A and Dental Sealants- CNN's Misguided Warning from their upcoming show "Toxic America"

CNN is planning to run a special report called: "Toxic America" where Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports that dental sealants contain Bisphenol A and suggests this may harm the health of dental patients ( particularly children who receive the bulk of dental sealant care).
The ADA Council of Science Affairs posted back in 2008 a position statement: "According to the CDC, dental caries remains the most common chronic disease of children aged 5 to 17 years-5 times more common than asthma (59% versus 11%).4 Untreated cavities can cause pain, dysfunction, absence from school, and poor appearance-problems that can greatly affect a child's quality of life. The utility of composite resin materials for both restoring dental health and preventing caries is well established, while any health risks from their use are not. The ADA fully supports continued research into the safety of BPA; but, based on current evidence, the ADA does not believe there is a basis for health concerns relative to BPA exposure from any dental material."

See the link: http://www.ada.org/1766.aspx

Patients should not be deterred from engaging this disease prevention procedure and should discuss their concerns with their dentist.... Dr. Steve Pleickhardt