NHS pays out £400k to remove mercury fillings

SCOTTISH NHS patients have had thousands of mercury fillings removed after they claimed they were making them ill, new figures have revealed.

In total, taxpayers have paid more than £400,000 over the last five years to remove amalgam fillings – which contain more than 50 per cent mercury – after patients said they suffered an allergic reaction to the fillings.

Simply chewing could release harmful mercury vapour from the fillings which could be breathed into the lungs, the US Food and Drug Administration has said. But while the Scottish Government says the fillings are safe, it has paid for nearly 12,000 amalgams to be removed from NHS patients in the past five years, including almost 2,000 last year.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government believes that amalgam fillings are safe to use, which is a view supported by the other UK health departments and the British Dental Association.

But “in terms of medical conditions, if there is a proven allergic reaction to a constituent metal of an amalgam filling which is causing oral symptoms for the patient, a consultant may recommend replacement of the amalgam fillings.

“This is quite rare and has to be seen against 1,005,000 amalgam fillings placed in 2011-12 but only 1,900 replaced on the recommendation of a consultant.”

More than half of an amalgam filling is made up of mercury. It is mixed with silver, copper and tin, forming a highly durable combination to lock in the mercury.

Alternatives such as white fillings or glass resin composites cost more and some experts argue they are not as strong.

A spokesman for the British Dental Association said: “It is hoped that the demand for fillings will reduce over time as the benefits of a more preventive approach to oral health are realised, which will also allow suitable alternative filling materials to be developed and tested.”