For your information, Wall Street Journal reports today (5/10/01) that five
Maryland dentists (and seven of their patients) filed a federal lawsuit
against Maryland state licensing regulators over what they contend is a gag
order preventing them from discussing with patients the potential health
hazards of silver amalgams.

The plaintiffs argue that dental regulators use "control of dental licenses
to punish, or to threaten punishment of, dentists who criticize mercury
amalgam," violating the dentists' First Amendment rights. The plaintiffs
want the court to order licensing boards to stop enforcing any policy that
"prevents, limits or intimidates dentists" from discussing the controversy
or advocating "mercury-free" dentistry.

The dental establishment, including the American Dental Association, argues
that  the mercury vapor causes no harm and that raising such safety issues
with patients would unduly alarm them. The licensing board says [the gag] is
lawful and that it was imposed in order to protect consumers from dentists
who would use the controversy to sell them on replacing their fillings with
more expensive materials.


Toni Krehel, AP
Vaccine Awareness of North Florida
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