Yip, H K, Li, D K C, Yau, D C Y · International dental journal · 2003 · DOI
This review examines whether dental fillings containing mercury cause chronic fatigue syndrome and other neurological diseases. After 30 years of research, scientists have found that while small amounts of mercury do leak from these fillings, there is no clear evidence that they cause widespread health problems in patients. Most international health organizations agree these fillings are safe for patients, though protecting dental workers from mercury exposure remains important.
For ME/CFS patients and researchers, this review addresses a commonly cited potential environmental trigger. Clarifying the lack of epidemiological evidence linking dental amalgam to ME/CFS and other neurological conditions helps patients and clinicians distinguish evidence-based risk factors from unproven causative hypotheses when evaluating disease etiology.
This editorial does not prove that mercury exposure from any source is harmless—only that dental amalgam specifically has not been linked to chronic health effects in large populations. The absence of established epidemiological evidence does not rule out individual susceptibility or that other mercury sources could pose risks. This is a review article synthesizing existing evidence rather than a new primary study providing novel data.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Yip, H K, Li, D K C, & Yau, D C Y (2003). Dental amalgam and human health.. International dental journal. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1875-595x.2003.tb00888.x
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-yip-2003-dental-amalgam,
author = {Yip, H K and Li, D K C and Yau, D C Y},
title = {Dental amalgam and human health.},
journal = {International dental journal},
year = {2003},
doi = {10.1002/j.1875-595x.2003.tb00888.x},
note = {PubMed: 14725374},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/yip-2003-dental-amalgam},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/yip-2003-dental-amalgam
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