Journal article
The Australian public's perception of mercury risk from dental restorations
Community dentistry and oral epidemiology, Vol.25(6), pp.391-395
12/1997
DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0528.1997.tb01728.x
PMID: 9429810
Abstract
The debate about mercury and dental amalgam has been one of the longest running in dentistry, and shows no signs of abating. This study aimed to investigate perceptions about mercury in dental fillings among a representative sample of the Australian public. A random sub-sample of participants in a national dental telephone interview survey completed a follow-up postal questionnaire which included four items on dental mercury. The postal survey response rate was 85.2%. Concern about mercury in dental fillings was expressed by 37.5%, while 16.2% reported having requested fillings that do not contain mercury. Avoidance of dental care because of concern about mercury in fillings was reported by 5.8%, but only 4.7% reported having had fillings replaced because they contained mercury. The data indicate that there is a substantial degree of concern about mercury and dental amalgam among the Australian public, but that the dental behavioural and treatment-pattern consequences of that concern are infrequent.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- The Australian public's perception of mercury risk from dental restorations
- Creators
- W M Thomson - AIHW Dental Statistics and Research Unit, University of Adelaide, AustraliaJ F StewartK D CarterA J Spencer
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Community dentistry and oral epidemiology, Vol.25(6), pp.391-395
- Publisher
- Denmark
- DOI
- 10.1111/j.1600-0528.1997.tb01728.x
- PMID
- 9429810
- ISSN
- 0301-5661
- eISSN
- 1600-0528
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 12/1997
- Academic Unit
- Biostatistics
- Record Identifier
- 9983997360702771
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