Researcher Warns About Risk of Denture Cream Zinc Poisoning

April 2, 2011, 7:00AM. By Heidi Turner

Baltimore, MDA report published in the March/April 2011 issue of the journal General Dentistry warns dentists to be careful about exposing patients to denture cream zinc poisoning. The paper comes after warnings about the risk of denture adhesive zinc poisoning when patients use too much product that contains zinc, such as Fixodent denture cream.

The report was written by a team from the University of Maryland Dental School, and warns dentists to be aware of the hazards of exposing patients to too much zinc. Zinc is used in some denture adhesive products and is necessary for many functions of the body. Too much zinc, however, can result in copper deficiency, neurological problems and other symptoms.

According to Nasir Bashirelahi, PhD, a co-author on the study, "[Zinc] is used in dental products abundantly, especially denture adhesives or pastes," (as quoted in a University of Maryland news release, 03/03/11). The problem is that many patients use too much denture cream to hold loose-fitting dentures in place, putting them at risk of developing zinc toxicity.

The paper, which reviewed information about the use of zinc in dentistry, noted that some studies linked copper deficient anemia and neutropenia (a blood disorder involving an abnormally low number of vital white blood cells) with an increase of zinc exposure.

"Of direct concern to dental professionals … has been the recent discovery of neurologic disorders resulting from excessive use of denture adhesives, having high leachable zinc contents which can cause copper deficiencies," author Amar Patel, DDS, writes. The authors further note that dentists should fully understand the link between zinc and a patient's health because of potential legal ramifications of recommending a product that contains zinc when zinc-free adhesives are also available.

Typically, a tube of denture adhesive should last between three and 10 weeks, although some people who have ill-fitting dentures may use much more than that to hold the dentures in place.

Lawsuits have been filed against the makers of denture creams that contain zinc, alleging users were not adequately warned about the risks of using too much denture cream or of the risks of zinc toxicity. GlaxoSmithKline has reportedly settled some lawsuits regarding its denture adhesive, Poligrip.