Sir, it is with interest that I read that Pepsi have now stopped using aspartame in their diet drinks in America, reportedly as a response to the public's health concerns over its use in diet drinks. There is increasing public concern regarding the use of artificial sweeteners, and more widely in general chemicals in our foods, that may be influencing our health.

In the late 1990s we had a tooth friendly endorsement of aspartame-containing products as part of a BDA campaign. I wrote a letter concerned about the general health effects that this may cause and got rather lambasted by the profession in the letters' section for such an approach.

However, the BDA subsequently stopped endorsing sugar free products, certainly those containing aspartame, stating that it was looking at different opportunities. Maybe it was foresight over this controversy. I think it is right not to promote the use of such a potentially health-harming product.

In a modern and up-to-date society, we have to look at other chemicals that are still accepted, endorsed by the BDA and considered safe by our regulatory bodies. Is it not now the time to look at other materials used in dentistry? The biggest and possibly the most controversial dental product being mercury and its use with dental amalgams and closely followed by fluoride. We should look at the role of amalgam fillings from the patient's health perspective (and the dental team's) rather than ease of use, convenience and cost.

If we are the profession I hope we are, we should look at the present scientific and possibly the anecdotal information available and make the decision ourselves rather than let someone else make the decisions for us. Ultimately, we were the ones endorsing aspartame-containing drinks and are the ones placing fillings containing mercury in people's mouths as well as prescribing fluoride. At the BDA Conference there was an informative presentation on the comparison of amalgams and composites.

Let's embrace the narrowing of the gap between these materials and work towards stopping using amalgam just in case it is as harmful as the aspartame we now avoid. Have we done a current up-to-date review of the literature to defend our position if at a later date these substances are found to be harmful? I look to open a debate and scientifc discussion on this matter.

1. Huddersfield