Fixodent Zinc Poisoning: One Woman's Story

May 19, 2010, 1:00PM. By Gordon Gibb

Irving, TXA woman from Texas who used Fixodent denture adhesive continues to battle serious health issues stemming from zinc poisoning. WFAA Channel 8 in Dallas / Fort Worth profiled the denture adhesive zinc poisoning case of Sherry Mosley last summer.

Mosley suffered for years from neuropathy, but had no idea her condition was caused by Fixodent denture adhesive—which contains zinc as a bonding agent. While directions on the product label indicate specific usage amounts, many denture wearers mistakenly assume that anything designed to be put into the mouth is safe. Overuse of denture cream to secure ill-fitting dentures is an all-too-common practice.

Mosley relied on copious amounts of Fixodent to keep her ill-fitting dentures in place, not realizing that she was doing herself harm in the process. As of August 2009, she had been a Fixodent denture cream user for 20 years when her doctor learned that zinc in denture cream can lead to copper depletion when used in excessive amounts. The physician wasted no time in testing his patient, and sure enough, found that Ms. Mosley's zinc levels were abnormally high.

The woman's doctor told WFAA that his surprise at the finding "led me to look at that for other possible patients who presented [me] with unusual or vague neuropathic symptoms. And I think it's probably potentially more widespread than we're aware of."

The neurological symptoms stemming from zinc poisoning include numbness and tingling in the hands and feet, balance and coordination problems, and pain and weakness in the extremities.

Mosley herself told WFAA that it hurts to do even simple things like giving her niece a hug. "Muscles hurt in my legs, my back," she said. "I've had burning in my back. The skin feels sunburned, and that's been going on for years and years."

She subsequently filed a Fixodent denture cream zinc lawsuit.

Procter & Gamble, the manufacturer of Fixodent, told WFAA that its product was safe when used as directed (just a few small dollops, or beads at strategic points on the denture).

However, for a significant number of denture wearers, such use doesn't reflect real-world applications. "I really believe that there are a lot of people, poor people, that haven't been able to have dentures every three years like they suggest," Mosley said. "All you can do is use this stuff, and then later find out that this stuff has caused so many problems and it's just not right."

Denture adhesives are classified by the FDA as Class 1 medical devices that don't alter the function or structure of the body. Class 1 medical devices are thus not required to list ingredients on the label.