Denture Adhesives and Zinc Poisoning

Many people with ill-fitting dentures rely on denture adhesives to keep them in place. But because some of these adhesives  may contain zinc, this is not a safe solution. If you ingest too much of the zinc in denture adhesives, you might eventually experience copper deficiency. People who suffer from chronic low levels of copper in their blood can develop severe neurological problems, including neuropathy.

Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas recently found a very strong link between zinc-containing denture adhesives and neuropathy. Their study, published in a 2008 issue of the journal “Neurology” determined that neuropathy in four patients was likely caused by their exposure to zinc in denture adhesives.

The patients in the University of Texas study used an average of two tubes of denture adhesive every week. Normal blood levels of copper range from 0.75 to 1.45 micrograms per milliliter (mL), but levels for the patients in the report ranged from less than 0.1 to 0.23 micrograms per mL. The top normal number for zinc blood levels is 1.10 micrograms per mL, but patients had levels ranging from 1.36 to 4.28 micrograms per mL.

Unfortunately, the damage the patients suffered was not easily reversed. To treat symptoms, one patient took copper supplements but didn’t stop using denture cream. His copper levels improved, but his zinc levels remained too high and he showed no improvement in his neurological symptoms. A second patient, who took copper supplements and stopped using denture adhesive showed improvement in copper and zinc levels, but no improvement in neurological symptoms.

Another  patient’s neurological symptoms included weakness in the hands and poor balance, while another had weakness in her arms and legs that made her wheelchair dependent, along with cognitive decline and urinary incontinence. These patients showed only “mild neurologic improvement” after they quit using denture adhesives and began taking copper supplements.