ESTROGENICITY OF RESIN-BASED COMPOSITES AND SEALANTS USED IN DENTISTRY

We tested some resin-based composites used in density for their estrog enic activity. A sealant based on bisphenol-A diglycidylether methacry late (bis-GMA) increased cell yields, progesterone receptor expression , and pS2 secretion in human estrogen-target, serum-sensitive MCF7 bre ast cancer cells. Estrogenicity was clue to bisphenol-A and bisphenol- A dimethacrylate, monomers found in the base paste of the dental seala nt and identified by mass spectrometry. Samples of saliva from 18 subj ects treated with 50 mg of a bis-GMA-based sealant applied on their mo lars were collected 1 hr before and after treatment. Bisphenol-A (rang e 90-931 mu g) was identified only in saliva collected during a 1-hr p eriod after treatment. The use of bis-GMA-based resins in dentistry, a nd particularly the use of sealants in children, appears to contribute to human exposure to xenoestrogens.