Exposure to Dental Filling Materials and the Risk of Dementia: A Population-Based Nested Case Control Study in Taiwan

When studying the range of toxic substances triggering dementia, special attention should be paid to the materials used in dental practice, particularly to dental fillings containing amalgam. This necessitated conducting large-scale epidemiologic studies. The aim of our research was to determine the risk factors for developing dementia when filling materials containing amalgam are used in dental practice. In order to achieve the set goals, the following tasks were undertaken: (1) The social and demographic characteristics of the examined patients were studied; (2) the spectrum of concomitant somatic diseases was determined in patients of different gender and age; and (3) the relationship between dementia incidence and the volume of dental filling material containing amalgam was identified in patients with different somatic diseases. In general, the research conducted did not reveal any direct relationship between the development of dementia and the volume of filling material containing amalgam. However, among the people with dementia, there were persons for whom its progression was accelerated in cases where a large volume of dental filling material containing amalgam was present.