Consumers for Dental Choice is a consumer policy 
research institution managed by 
The National Institute for Science, Law, and Public Policy, affiliated with the law firm of Swankin & Turner.

Consumers for Dental Choice is managed by the National Institute for Science, Law, and Public Policy, a non-profit consumer advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. that has championed consumer rights to information, safety and choice for 20 years. The project is organized by two national consumer organizations:

• Citizens for Health, a Denver, Colorado-based group with 168 chapters in all 50 states dedicated to empowering consumers to make informed choices about preserving and improving their health that has enjoyed a high success rate in Congress, and
• Dental Amalgam Mercury Survivors, a group based in Albuquerque, New Mexico with chapters in over 40 states, made up of victims of mercury poisoning from dental fillings that seeks to alert consumers to the risks of amalgams and to ensure that ethical, mercury-free dentists are permitted to practice.

Mercury-free dentistry has increasing academic, scientific and political support. Consumers for Dental Choice recognizes that there are different viewpoints on this issue, and notes that the American Dental Association has traditionally opposed mercury-free dentistry. However, the ADA itself acknowledges that some consumers have an allergic hypersensitivity to mercury – a known heavy-metal toxin – and even the staunchest amalgam advocates recognize that at least some consumers should not have these fillings. Additionally, in 1996, Health Canada (Canada’s health department) recommended that dentists discontinue the use of amalgams in the mouths of pregnant women, people with kidney disorders, and others with high health risks.

It is the aim of Consumers for Dental Choice and its supporting public, including members of the dental profession, the medical profession and academia, to protect both informed consumer choice and freedom of speech without sacrificing safety. Consumers for Dental Choice supports education of dentists on the removal of amalgams to ensure safe dental procedures nationwide and the consumer’s right to know the potential health consequences of getting amalgams, removing them, or leaving them intact.