Dr. Cutress, Director of Dental Research for the Wellington School of Medicine was asked in 1995 by Hon Jenny Shipley, the then Minister of Health, to investigate recent research on amalgam used in dental fillings, and to invite me, Dr Godfrey, to contribute to the investigation.
Dr. Cutress, Director of Dental Research for the Wellington School of Medicine was asked in 1995 by Hon Jenny Shipley, the then Minister of Health, to investigate recent research on amalgam used in dental fillings, and to invite me, Dr Godfrey, to contribute to the investigation. I was the only physician on a panel of four involved in, what was considered essentially a medical and not a dental problem. However, this was an opportunity to reveal the scientific evidence surrounding the use of amalgam. Previous Ministers of Health had quite naturally accepted the reassurances from their senior dental and medical advisors that amalgam used in dental treatment was safe. The latter were, and still are seriously mistaken.