Poligrip Denture Cream

The Nature of the Drug: GlaxoSmithKline marketed Super Poligrip Denture Cream as a safe and effective adhesive to hold full or partial dentures in place throughout the day. But at least one variety of the product contained a substantial amount of zinc, a metal that humans can safely absorb only in small amounts.


The Hazards of Poligrip Denture Cream: Studies of Super Poligrip users showed that they may have been exposed to more than thirty times the recommended daily allowance of zinc. The recommended amount is 8 mg. for women and 11 mg. for men, though the National Academy of Science puts a safe upper limit on zinc exposure at 40 mg. per day; but Super Poligrip and other denture creams can contain as much as 330 mg. of zinc per daily dose.

Zinc poisoning and neuropathy are two risks associated with zinc-containing denture creams. Zinc poisoning’s symptoms can include numbness, tingling (pins-and-needles sensation), loss of balance, unexplained pain, and paralysis. And neuropathy, which is permanent nerve damage, can arise because excess zinc in the body can cause copper depletion, or hypocupremia, which can lead to irreversible neurological damage.
After people stop using Poligrip their zinc levels go down, but the pain and neurological damage that they sustained can be permanent.

Some Poligrip users who have suffered neuropathy or other serious health problems because of high zinc levels in their bodies, have sued GlaxoSmithKline.

To Obtain Legal Relief: People who have been injured by excess zinc from Poligrip Denture Cream or from other zinc-containing denture creams, may have valuable legal rights. Attorney Stephen A. Katz is available at (800) 251-3529 for a free consultation, or for legal representation.