Denture Cream Poisoning Caused by Excess Zinc

January 24, 2010, 11:30AM. By Heidi Turner

Baton Rouge, LAMore people than ever are coming forward to file lawsuits against various denture cream manufacturers. The plaintiffs allege that they were not adequately warned that overuse of denture adhesive could result in zinc poisoning and nerve damage, and that years of use of the product has resulted in serious harm.

Those with ill-fitting dentures are at the highest risk for denture cream poisoning, since they frequently require excessive amounts of denture cream to hold their dentures in place. These people are exposed to higher levels of zinc, which causes copper and iron deficiencies.

Copper and iron deficiencies in turn can cause nerve damage and other serious problems. However, because these issues take a long time to appear, it was a while before scientists made the link between the nerve damage and overuse of denture cream.

The denture creams that have so far been linked to excessive zinc include PoliGrip brands from GlaxoSmithKline and Fixodent from Proctor & Gamble. GlaxoSmithKline has released a statement reassuring users that denture cream is safe when used as directed. However, the company now places a warning on its PoliGrip products regarding the risk of excessive use of denture cream and increased zinc intake.

According to an article at stltoday.com on 1/13/10, scientists first noted the link between denture adhesive and nerve damage in 2008. At the time, zinc was not listed on ingredient list for the denture creams, even though one analysis found that a denture cream had four times the recommended daily allowance of zinc.

Patients are now investigating lawsuits against the makers of the denture creams, alleging they were not properly warned about the risk of overuse. Although many have stopped using the denture cream, only some have recovered normal functions.

So far, there are approximately 85 lawsuits filed in Philadelphia and Florida concerning the denture creams, stltoday.com reports.