Dental Amalgam Fillings and Multiple Sclerosis: A Nationwide Population-Based Case–Control Study in Taiwan

Chien-Fang Tseng, Kun-Huang Chen, Hui-Chieh Yu, Fu-Mei Huang and Yu-Chao Chang
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Chien-Fang Tseng: School of Dentistry, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 40201, Taiwan
Kun-Huang Chen: Department of Artificial Intelligence, CTBC Business School, Tainan 709, Taiwan
Hui-Chieh Yu: School of Dentistry, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 40201, Taiwan
Fu-Mei Huang: Department of Dentistry, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40201, Taiwan
Yu-Chao Chang: School of Dentistry, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 40201, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 8, 1-7

Abstract: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory neurological disease characterized by autoimmune-mediated demyelination of the central nervous system. Genetic and environmental factors may contribute to the development of MS. This has not been confirmed yet. Dental amalgam has long been controversial in MS due to its mercury content but the toxicological implications of mercury-containing amalgam fillings (AMF) for MS remain to be elucidated. We conducted a case–control study to investigate the association between AMF and the risk of MS from the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). Case ( n = 612) and control ( n = 612) groups were matched by sex, age, urbanization level, monthly income, and Charlson comorbidity index by propensity score matched with a 1:1 ratio from 2000 to 2013. Differences between cases and controls was not statistically significant (OR: 0.82, 95% CI = 0.65–1.05). In subjects stratified by gender, MS was also not associated with AMF for women (OR: 0.743, 95% CI = 0.552–1.000) and men (OR: 1.006, 95% CI = 0.670–1.509), respectively. In summary, this Taiwanese nationwide population-based case–control study did not find an association between MS and AMF.

Keywords: multiple sclerosis; dental amalgam fillings; nationwide population; case–control study; mercury (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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