Feasibility of an Integrated Medical Care Program for Patients With Continuing Health Complaints After Amalgam Removal (IMCR)

Development and Feasibility Assessment of an Integrated Medical Care Rehabilitation Program for Patients With Continuing Health Complaints After Amalgam Removal - The IMCR Trial

Some patients report relief of symptoms after amalgam removal. However, a large group of patients are still suffering from partly severe health complaints even after the removal of amalgam. To date, no biological/medical explanation for these Amalgam attributed health complaints is available.

The objective of this study is to develop an integrated medical care rehabilitation program and determine if it is a valid and feasible treatment for patients with persistent symptoms after amalgam removal. Such a comprehensive concept has to date not been operationalized in Norway, but information about the feasibility and the challenges around such a rehabilitation program are required, in order to prepare for a possible controlled and randomized study evaluating the effects of the suggested integrative care treatment program. This treatment program will focus on "learning by practicing", hence the study participants will be enrolled into a group program focusing on life-style changes. In addition to the life-style oriented group program, an individualized treatment strategy with therapies out of the spectrum of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) will be part of the treatment program. This part of the program is based on the results of a survey, related to use of CAM therapies, conducted in 2012 among the members of the patient organization "Forbundet Tenner og Helse".

Participants of this treatment program must amongst other inclusion criteria have removed all dental amalgam fillings and experience symptoms which have not disappeared after removal of the dental fillings. Specific exclusion criteria are stated. The group program consists of 12 sessions which are held once per week for a whole day. Added to this is a choice of CAM therapies from a hierarchic list, established from the survey, and which accordingly is based on risk/benefit judgment. Data collection will take place at baseline, after 12 weeks (end of treatment), and three month later. The aim of this study is to test the feasibility of an integrated medical care rehabilitation program for patients in Norway who have had their Amalgam fillings removed, but still suffer from Amalgam attributed symptoms. It combines a lifestyle oriented group program with individualized CAM therapies in form of an outpatient program.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Health Complaints Attributed to Previous Amalgam Fillings
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: lifestyle intervention

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 21
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Norway
  • Troms
    • Tromsø, Troms, Norway, 9037
      • University of Tromsø

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 20 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• The research population should be permanent residents in Norway and be between 20 to 70 years of age and able to comply with the protocol
• Participants must have removed all dental amalgam fillings (screening by study dentist)
• Still having health complaints which have not disappeared after removal of the dental amalgam fillings
• Minimum duration of health complaints of 12 months since removal of the last amalgam filling
• There is not yet any biological/medical explanation for their health complaints
• Willing and motivated to take part in the IMCR program as it is described

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with ongoing cancers, severe cardiopulmonal, neurological, or psychiatric diseases or mental retardation (screening by study GP)
• Life threatening disease
• Dental conditions requiring treatment before entering the program.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Other: Lifestyle intervention; life-style oriented group program together with an individualized treatment program using therapies out of the spectrum of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)	Behavioral: lifestyle intervention

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
achieved patient enrollment rates (number of patients eligible)	number of patients who are willing to participate and are eligible	8 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
MYMOP (scale from 0 to 6)	MYMOP is a patient-generated instrument where patients themselves decide what their most relevant health complaint is.	difference between baseline and 3 months

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
MYMOP (scale from 0 to 6)	MYMOP is a patient-generated instrument where patients themselves decide what their most relevant health complaint is.	difference between baseline and 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Tromso
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Frauke Musial, PhD, University of Tromso

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: January 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 1, 2014
• Study Completion (Actual): October 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 5, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 6, 2014
• First Posted (Estimated): March 7, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 4, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 1, 2025
• Last Verified: June 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: lifestyle; feasibility pilot study; Amalgam attributed health complaints; integrated medical care program
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2014/34974(NSD)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO