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In August 2008, the journal Neurology published a report titled "An unusual source of excess zinc, leading to hypocupremia and neurologic disease." This report featured the findings of medical researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas establishing a link between denture cream use and excessive zinc exposure. The researchers studied four patients who suffered from neuropathy and other neurological problems associated with zinc poisoning. All of the patients were denture cream users. Three of them had lost their teeth at a relatively young age and had used been exposed to large amounts of denture adhesive cream every day for many years. The patients involved in this study were using at least two tubes of denture cream per week.
The researchers tested the denture creams the four patients used and found that the denture creams contained zinc concentrations between 17,000 and 34,000 micrograms per gram. Based on the patients' denture cream use, the researchers estimated that they were exposed to at least 330 mg of zinc daily. In 2001, the National Academy of Sciences stated that the largest tolerable zinc intake per day is 40 mg. The recommended daily allowance of zinc is 8 mg for women and 11 mg for men. All four of the patients in the study had abnormally high levels of zinc and abnormally low levels of copper in their blood.
The findings published in the Neurology report indicate that the neurological damage caused by denture cream zinc poisoning is not always reversible. In order to treat the symptoms, one patient took copper supplements but didn't stop using denture cream. His copper levels improved, but his zinc levels remained high and he showed no improvement in his neurological symptoms. A second patient took copper supplements and stopped using denture cream. This patient showed improvement in copper and zinc levels, but no improvement in neurological symptoms. A third patient's neurological symptoms included weakness in the hands and poor balance, while the fourth patient experienced weakness in her arms and legs that made her wheelchair-dependent, along with cognitive decline and urinary incontinence. Both of these patients showed mild neurologic improvement after they stopped using denture cream and began taking copper supplements.
When dentures don't fit correctly, denture cream users are more likely to use excessive amounts of adhesive cream in order to secure their dentures. This increases the chances that they will experience zinc poisoning and neurological problems. The University of Texas researchers recommended that patients facing this problem seek professional help, and possibly have their dentures replaced, in order to avoid using too much denture cream. However, denture cream manufacturers are not required to disclose the amount of zinc in their products, which makes it impossible for consumers to assess the risk of zinc poisoning posed by a certain brand of denture cream.
If you or a loved one has suffered from neurological problems caused by denture cream use, the denture cream lawyers at Morgan & Morgan can help. They offer free consultations and can provide you with information about your rights and legal options. You may be able to recover monetary compensation. In addition, taking legal action against denture cream manufacturers will put pressure on the drug companies to reveal the ingredients in their products that can lead to zinc toxicity.
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