Association between parkinson’s disease and dental amalgam filling: A study of nationwide population-based case control in taiwan

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common associated motor dysfunction nervous system disease. Low-level occupational mercury vapor exposure is a commonly known critical factor that increases the risk of PD. Dental amalgams, used for dental restoration, are a major source of mercury exposure for people. However, the relationship between PD and the use of amalgam fillings (AMFs) has yet to be clarified. This paper of retrospective case–control aimed to examine the relationship between AMF use and the risk of PD; it analyzed Taiwan’s NHIRD (National Health Insurance Research Database) based on population administrative database, for the 2000-2013 period. For the case and control groups, Charlson Comorbidity Index, age, urbanization level, sex and monthly income were all matched by a propensity score method for a 1:1 ratio; 5712 cases and 5712 controls participated in this study. This results of case–control based on nationwide population revealed no significant association between PD and AMF in Taiwanese people. This result provides meaningful implications despite being statistically not significant.