STORY:  SILVER AMALGAM

SCRIPT #564

AIRDATE:  Monday, July 5, 2004

DHC Master #19   Timecode: 40:30                 Can silver dental fillings make you sick?

                                                                        The American Dental Association says

absolutely not.  And they say,  any dentist who removes silver amalgam claiming a health benefit violates the dental association’s professional code of ethics.

Dr. Linda Niessen looks at the latest

flap over silver dental fillings in today’s

SOVT: 1:37                                                    Dental Health Check.

 LUCI SAMPLER COMING IN OFFICE      (VOICE-OVER)

SUPER:  Richardson  :02-07                          Luci Sampler suffers from arthritis.

A chiropractor suggested the underlying

cause was silver amalgam dental fillings.

SUPER:   Luci Sampler   :12-17                     (“So I said okay. Maybe I should have

                  Dental Patient                                 the metal fillings out and the other

                                                                        fillings in, so we tried that but I can’t

                                                                        really tell the difference.”)

SILVER AMALGAM FILLINGS                   Debate over the safety of silver amalgam

                                                                        spans several decades.  Dr. Marvin Hirsch,

an authority on dental amalgam, says there is no evidence that the filling

material causes harm.

SUPER:   Dr. Marvin Hirsch:33-38               (“The studies of dental amalgam have been

                Baylor College of Dentistry   broad, often, and over and over again, it is

                                                                        proved that mercury in dental amalgam

                                                                        fillings is safe.”)

ON CAMERA                                                 (STAND-UP BRIDGE)

SUPER:  Dr. Linda Niessen :44-48                Most people are familiar with the

Baylor College of Dentistry                 concerns of liquid mercury, like in your

thermometer.  But in dental amalgam,

the mercury is combined with silver

to become solid. In the solid form,

the mercury component is stable and

poses no health risk.”)

Page 2  Silver Fillings

MORE SILVER FILLINGS                            (VOICE-OVER)

                                                                        But silver amalgam does have one

                                                                        drawback.  It is not attractive.

LUCI IN DENTAL CHAIR                             So only for cosmetic reasons did Luci’s dentist replace her silver fillings.

SUPER:  Dr. Lee Fitzgerald                           (“I would never recommend telling

                     Dentist   1:10-1:15                       to remove their silver amalgam fillings

                                                                        with a guarantee of health benefits.

                                                                        It’s unethical to do that. “)

ON CAMERA                                                 (STAND-UP CLOSE)

JUNK SCIENCE HEADLINE

                                                                        The American Dental Association labels

                                                                        all efforts to ban silver fillings as

                                                                        “junk science.”

                                                                        And the association says dental amalgam

                                                                        is the most thoroughly researched and tested

                                                                        material in dentistry.  For Baylor College

                                                                        of Dentistry, Texas A & M System, I’m

                                                                        Dr. Linda Niessen, Channel 8 News.