Demand for Gold Dental fillings dips

Preference for gold in dental fillings appears to be on the wane as demand for the precious metal for dentistry use hit the lowest level in 2012 in at least five years. Global gold demand for dentistry was 39.9 tonnes in 2012, the lowest level in past five years, according to World Gold Council data. The demand was 43.4 tonnes in 2011, 49.8 tonnes in 2010, 52.7 tonnes in 2009 and 55.7 tonnes in 2008, the data showed. "The dental filling used is made of an alloy of gold. The use of gold in dental fillings has become very rare nowadays. Substitute materials have gained popularity. An average gold dental filling still doesn't cost more than Rs 500," said Tarun Rajput, a dental practitioner. Gold filling has advantages of durability and strength but a major disadvantage is perception of poor aesthetics. "Substitution to base metals most notably cobalt:chrome and to a lesser extent, ceramic led to an 8 per cent decline to 39.9 tonnes. On a value basis, demand for gold for the purpose slipped 2 per cent to USD 2.1 billion," WGC, the market development organisation for gold industry said. Data for gold use in dentistry before 2008 was not immediately available on WGC website. Although gold remains an important material in dentistry, its use by dentists is slowly declining. Use of new ceramics and cheaper base metal alloys have increased at the expense of gold-based restorations, Rajput said.