Dentists and parents, I think, can be very assured from the results of this study that they can continue to put silver amalgam in children's mouths to fill cavities.

Given the rigorous nature of the study designs and that both clinical trials confirmed the other's results, I think these findings should be reassuring for parents, children, and dental professionals.

There has been increasing concern about the use of mercury-based amalgam for filling teeth, even though we've been using exactly this compound for about 150 years.

We found that on I.Q. and other aspects of brain function, as well as kidney function, the group that received the mercury-based amalgam was exactly the same as those that received a composite.

So we're looking at a group in the population who was most likely to show an adverse impact if there was one. And we still didn't (find one).

If I were a parent or a dentist looking at these trials, I would have to conclude that we should stick with amalgam.