579. Study to students of Casa Pia were subjects complied with all laws and national and international conventions

The School of Dental Medicine, University of Lisbon (FMDUL) who carried out a study of dental treatment to children from Casa Pia, between 1997 and 2006, argues that it complied with all laws, regulations and conventions, national and international, related with the ethical and protection of human participants.
The statements made ​​by press release, come a day after Secretary of State for Solidarity and Social Security have requested the Attorney General's Office (PGR) to ascertain whether there was any criminal offense in the execution of a protocol that took dental treatment of 507 children from Casa Pia de Lisboa.

Participation, the minister stated that the study in question was the subject of a report by RTP, last May 28th, called As Cobaias and it is said that the substances used in the treatments were very toxic. However, House Study sink as it was called, it was reported by the public on November 14, 2003. Relates to a U.S. study on the use of mercury amalgam, the vulgar leads in dental treatments with 500 children from Casa Pia. From the first day, there was controversy - who rekindled now, thanks to a report issued by RTP1 in late May.

As reported PUBLICO nine years ago, a job that gave right and the headline that stretched four pages inside the issue November 14, 2003, there was the time trial national who could boast of having a budget as large - nine million euros. The Casa Pia Study was, at the time of its release, the most expensive project of the National Institute of Dental Research (NIDCR), one of 27 research centers of the National Institutes of Health U.S..

The study The Casa Pia Study of the Health Effects of Dental Amalgam in Children was done in partnership between FMDUL and the University of Washington, Seattle. Simultaneously, the U.S. ran a parallel study under the responsibility of the New England Research Institute. All materials, including dental amalgam, consisted of commercial materials certified and techniques used in tooth restorations complied with standardized protocols.

The use of dental amalgam was and continues to be advocated by various international bodies. Namely: the World Health Organization, the World Dental Federation, the Food and Drug Administration (a U.S. organization equivalent to Infarmed Portuguese), the Council of European Dentists and the European Commission.

Besides being requested consent to students who participated, The FMDUL also requested authorization to parents and legal guardians and providers both Casa Pia, Luís Rebelo and Catalina Pestana, also gave authorization.

Contrary to what is stated in the report, there were 16 teeth restored per student, but 16 surfaces. The average number of filled teeth per student was between five and six, the statement said. The safety of students and interim results were subject to ongoing monitoring by an independent commission formed by a group of experts in the various areas of interest to the study. This committee had the responsibility and power to stop the experiment.

Between 2005 and 2007 he was made ​​an audit of the ethical and protective of the participants by Office for Human Research Protections, an agency of the U.S. federal government, because of a complaint that included issues addressed in the report. This audit concluded that the complaints were unfounded and the case was closed permanently.

PÚBLICO

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Regardless of violations that may have occurred with the experience mentioned in the news, is extremely unfortunate and shows a complete lack of ethics and immorality see a Secretary of State for Solidarity and Social Security to be worried about a situation that occurred in the past and do an exhaustive audit of existing oral health programs that address less than 10% of the needs of dental and oral health of children and young Portuguese, discriminating the overwhelming majority whom the program should be directed.
The demagoguery and shame should have limits for certain politicians.