Dental Recommendations from Norway Subj: BULLETIN FROM NORWAY - NEW GUIDELINES FOR DENTAL MATERIALS Date: 3/17/2003 1:46:18 PM Pacific Standard Time From: mrygg@online.no To: mrygg@online.no Today, Monday March 17, 2003 the long-awaited new guidelines for the use of dental materials in Norway were finally officially announced and made public. Unfortunately, all of the information made public today by the Directorate for Health and Social Welfare is in Norwegian. The official press release and a pdf-file with the entire 39-page document (in Norwegian) is posted at the website of the Directorate: http://www.shdir.no/index.db2?id=3948 I will be doing an unofficial translation of the recommendations and conclusions and will send them as soon as I get this done, but it may take a week or so. The responsible person at the Directorate is Liljan Smith Aandahl, and her e-mail address is LiljanSmith.Aandahl@shdir.no . She might be able to tell you when an official translation to English will be available. The press contact person at the Directorate is Gase Handeland, telephone (+47) 480 82 713. The website of the Directorate is www.shdir.no Much of the contents of the draft circulated in July 2002 is still in place. My quick translation of the short version of the recommendations: - Preventive care shall be given priority. - When fillings are necessary, techniques that preserve tooth substance are to be chosen. - Amalgam shall not ordinarily be the first choice when filling therapy is indicated. - The use of amalgam shall be limited as much as possible in order to protect the environment and due to possible injury to health. - Dental filling therapy for pregnant woman should be avoided. - For new restorations, contact between amalgam and other metals should be avoided. - Allergy to any ingredient in a dental material is a contraindication for use of that material. - Efforts should be made to reduce exposure of patients and dental personnel to chemical substances from dental therapy when applying and removing fillings. - A vacuum suction and water cooling shall be used when removing old fillings. - Avoid contact with materials before they are cured. The conclusions are also interesting, but I am sorry that I don't have time to translate more this evening. I just wanted to get out this bulletin, which I consider to be very good news, as soon as possible. Sincerely, Maryanne Rygg Halden terrasse 9c N-1367 Snaroya Norway e-mail: mrygg@online.no Subj: NORWAY TODAY: OVER AND OUT FOR AMALGAM Date: 7/1/03 2:20:02 AM Eastern Daylight Time From: BULLELKMAN To: MarieFlow HI Friends, GREAT message to share from Maryanne from Norway. Hope that all of you can share with family, friends, elected officials both state and federal and media. Thanks for sharing, Mary Ann Newell from USA OVER AND OUT FOR AMALGAM This was headline news on Norwegian radio this morning, and will surely be repeated in many news media throughout the day. Here is the link to NRK-radio (national channel): http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/innenriks/2881093.html (in Norwegian). The text under the headline reads: ------ "Starting today, dentists may only use amalgam in our teeth as an exception to the rule. The Directorate for Health and Social Welfare (in Norway) today introduces more stringent rules regarding the use of dental amalgam. Starting today, dentists may only use amalgam as a dental filling material in exceptional cases. Dentists who choose to use amalgam must record the reasons in the patient's journal, and are required to inform the patient about the new guidelines in advance of the treatment. Many dentists have already stopped using amalgam." Yes, this is a happy day. A representative for the Directorate for Health and Social Welfare, Björn Guldvog, said in an interview that the new restrictions were due to the mercury contained in dental amalgam, which may be a health hazard. He qualified this, however, by saying that no injuries from mercury in amalgam have as yet been documented! It appears to me that the strategy the Norwegian health authorities have decided to follow is to phase out dental amalgam without admitting that it has harmed anyone. In my mind I see "Pinocchio" noses getting longer and longer! Best regards, Maryanne Rygg Norway www.dams.cc toxicteeth.net amalgam.org altcorp.com Back to the top Back to Mercury in the News Back to Mercury Poisoned main page Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes only, and does not replace a personal consultation with the health care professional of your choice.