In an attempt to determine if mercury and dental amalgams play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, Saxe and colleagues conducted autopsies on the brains of 68 patients with Alzheimer’s disease and 33 people without Alzheimer’s. People in the study came from two different states, Kentucky and Wisconsin. Each person’s dental history was known so that their exposure to dental amalgam fillings could be detailed. Mercury levels in several areas of the brains were determined.
The researchers determined that there was no relationship between brain mercury levels or Alzheimer’s disease and the presence of dental amalgam fillings, regardless of their number, size, or length of time present in a person’s mouth.