WebMD Medical News Louise Chang, MD Dec. 15, 2010 -- An advisory
panel today recommended that the FDA examine all relevant
evidence in reviewing its 2009 ruling that mercury-containing
fillings known as dental amalgams are safe. The agency needs to
look at “not just certain studies but all scientifically sound
studies,” said panel member Judith Zelikoff, PhD, of the
Institute of Environmental Medicine in Tuxedo, N.Y. At issue
over the two-day meeting, which concluded today, were questions
raised about how the agency reached its decision in July of last
year. In four petitions, members of consumer and dental groups
criticized the FDA’s decision-making progress, arguing that the
agency had used flawed and insufficient data to draw conclusions
about safety. The panel, which generally held that amalgams are
safe for most people, did agree that there is not enough data to
rule out the possibility that a small but significant number of
people might be at risk from exposure to mercury in the
fillings. Existing studi