Dentists Still Using Plastic Sealants, Despite BPA Toxicity

Email this article to a friend

Printable Version

Articles Related to This Article: • Six Baby Bottle Manufacturers Quietly Agree to Remove Bisphenol-A (BPA) from Baby Bottles • Study Verifies that BPA Causes Sexual Dysfunction in Men • Research Links Plastics Containing Bisphenol A to Heart Disease and Diabetes NaturalNews Store Specials: • Revolutionary new Hurom Slow Juicer at the lowest price on the 'net + FREE shipping! • Certified Organic Nutiva Hemp Seeds at a huge discount (+ FREE bottle of hemp oil) • Omega-3 rich Chia Seeds at under $5 / lb. See more at the NN store...

(NaturalNews) In spite of rising concern over the endocrine-disrupting effects of bisphenol-A (BPA), the chemical is still used in dental sealants that are strongly recommended by the American Dental Association.

BPA is used in a wide variety of industrial applications, including in the making of compact discs, polycarbonate plastic water and baby bottles, and the resins that line cans of food. The chemical is known to mimic the effects of the hormone estrogen, however, and has been linked to developmental, neurological and reproductive defects and increased risk of cancer. Although the FDA and EPA have yet to regulate it as a toxic substance, the National Toxicology Program concluded in a recent research review that there is indeed cause for concern over BPA's effects, particularly in children.

The issue with dental sealants -- syrupy substances applied to the cracks in teeth, hardened and then buffed smooth as a barrier to the bacteria that cause tooth decay.
-- is the same as with plastic water bottles or the linings of cans: Under certain conditions, especially high temperatures, BPA is known to leach out of plastics and resins. Scientists believe that exposure to BPA from such sources is the reason that the Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) has detected the chemical in the urine of 93 percent of all people tested.

Responding to concerns over BPA in dental sealants, American Dental Association consumer adviser Leslie Seldin dismissed "the BPA issue" as "minuscule in impact."

Not all dental sealants contain BPA or expose patients to equal amounts of chemical. In a 2006 study, researchers found that men who received Dentsply Ash's Delton Light Cure sealant were exposed to 20 times the BPA dose of men whose teeth had been sealed with Ivoclar Vivadent Helioseal F.

The study was conducted by researchers from the U.S. Public Health Service and the CDC, and published in the the American Dental Association.

Sources for this story include: www.nytimes.com.

Share

Get articles like this delivered to you FREE in our popular email newsletter

Related CounterThink Cartoons:

Related Articles: • Six Baby Bottle Manufacturers Quietly Agree to Remove Bisphenol-A (BPA) from Baby Bottles • Study Verifies that BPA Causes Sexual Dysfunction in Men • Research Links Plastics Containing Bisphenol A to Heart Disease and Diabetes	Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com Email this article to a friend Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us Permalink to this article: http://www.NaturalNews.com/026016_BPA_dentists_research.html Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link. Embed article link: (copy HTML code below): <a href = "http://www.NaturalNews.com/026016_BPA_dentists_research.html">Dentists Still Using Plastic Sealants, Despite BPA Toxicity</a>