Focus on fillings: a qualitative health study of people medically diagnosed with mercury poisoning, linked to dental amalgam.

Background: This paper reports a qualitative investigation of people who have considered removing their dental amalgam fillings following a medical diagnosis of mercury poisoning.

Objective: To document themes from patients' collective, subjective experience; and explore links between illness and dental amalgam.

Methods: Seven focus groups involved 35 participants selected by random, criteria sampling from the computerized patient records of one medical practice.