Woman's Weakness in Legs Due to Denture Cream Zinc Poisoning

New York, NYHer case is compelling, although no one knew at the time that denture adhesive zinc poisoning lay at the heart of her troubles. The brand, our 64-year-old subject had been using, wasn't identified: it might have been Fixodent denture adhesive, or it might have been any number of other brands.

The fact remains, however that a woman looking and feeling far older than her years was hospitalized for various ailments, not the least of which was an inability to walk properly, was found to have been adversely affected by her denture cream.

As profiled in the September 6th edition of the New York Times the patient, who was not identified, presented with various symptoms at hospital. She described to doctors a weakness and numbness in her legs. She became prone to falls. The patient was referred to a neurologist and underwent an MRI.

The woman's face was described as being deeply lined and her eyes were puffy. Shoulders and arms possessed normal strength, but her legs were weak. There was diabetes and high blood pressure. As well, the patient was suffering from a dangerously low white-blood-cell count.

Blood test began to show a trend: her system was almost devoid of copper, yet the patient had more then twice the normal amount of zinc in her system. It should be noted that zinc and copper both have a place in the complex web that forms the human body. However, if those levels get out of whack there can be problems.

Doctors traced the source of the zinc to her denture cream. Poorly fitting dentures caused the patient to use far more cream than is recommended, or for that matter safe.

'The More the Better,' Can Lead to Denture Adhesive Zinc Poisoning

According to the Times article the jawbone recedes once teeth are removed and dentures are in need of replacement every few years. However patients who can't afford such a regular update will often resort to using copious amounts of denture cream, unaware of the health hazard where it relates to zinc toxicity.

Normal dosages of denture cream, for most, would see a tube last for a month or so—whereas this patient had been going through a tube each day and had been doing so for years.

The increased levels of zinc together with the related depletion of copper were making the woman very sick.

She had no idea her health problems were linked to denture cream zinc poisoning. Manufacturers provide guidance for dosage levels, but are not required to display levels of zinc on labels.