Lawsuits Alleging Denture Cream Zinc Poisoning on the Rise

March 23, 2010, 5:00AM. By Charles Benson

Seattle, WAThe number of lawsuits stemming from claims of denture cream zinc poisoning has been increasing at an exponential rate in courts across the country, according to a recent report from the St. Petersburg Times.

A 2008 study published in the journal Neurology found that users of denture adhesives like Fixodent and Super PoliGrip were at serious risk of zinc poisoning. Zinc poisoning can lead to serious neurological disorders stemming from hyperzincemia (zinc toxicity) and hypocupremia (low levels of copper in the blood). These conditions can lead to peripheral neuropathy, a disorder of the nervous system that causes weakness in the extremities.

Patients in the study used about one or two 2.4-ounce tubes of denture cream per week, much more than the one tube per 10 weeks suggested on packages of Super PoliGrip. The recommended daily allowance of zinc is 11 miligrams for men and eight for women, but just one gram of denture cream can contain upwards of 30 milligrams of zinc, much of which is inevitably swallowed, according to the St. Petersburg Times.

Doctors recommend that people who suspect they have denture poisoning visit a neurologist before filing suit, as trace amounts of zinc will dissipate in the human body even while the neuropathy remains.