Super Poligrip Lawsuit Filed After Denture Wearers Suffered Zinc Poisoning

Earlier this month, a lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on behalf of two couples who allege that severe and disabling injuries were caused by zinc poisoning from Super Poligrip denture adhesive cream.

The denture cream lawsuit alleges that Super Poligrip contains zinc, which can enter the body at high and dangerous levels, potentially resulting in zinc poisoning and depleted copper levels. This can cause a number of neurological symptoms generally referred to as neuropathy.

Super Poligrip, which is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, is an adhesive cream used to help hold dentures in place. It is sold over-the-counter, and is classified by the FDA as a low-risk medical device, which means that Glaxo is not required to list the ingredients on the product label.

The Super Poligrip lawsuit was filed on behalf of Horace Daniels and Theodore Micklazavage, together with their respective spouses, alleging that GlaxoSmithKline failed to warn about the risk of zinc poisoning from the denture cream or that the Super PoliGrip even contains zinc. They also alleged that Glaxo failed to inform the plaintiffs about the correct dosage and use of Super PoliGrip, which resulted in overuse and excessive absorption zinc.

Daniels, who is 72 years old and received dentures about 8 years ago, alleged that his use of Super PoliGrip resulted in a diagnosis of copper-deficiency-induced myelopathy, resulting in permanent neurological and other injuries that impact his day to day life.

Micklasavage, who is 57 years old and has worn dentures for approximately 10 years, alleged that he was diagnosed with hyperzincemia due to Super PoliGrip, which have left him with similar neurological damage.

Excess exposure to zinc in Super PoliGrip has been associated with symptoms like weakness in the hands, arms or legs, poor balance, lack of coordination, pain, numbness, tingling, burning sensation, the feeling of warning gloves or socks and other problems.

Complaints have been filed over similar problems with Fixodent, a different type of denture cream that also contains zinc.

Last week, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation held hearings about whether to consolidate all federal lawsuits against GlaxoSmithKline and Proctor & Gamble, the makers of Fixodent. At the time the petition was filed, there were 11 individual denture cream lawsuits involving zinc poisoning pending in different districts throughout the United States. Nine of the cases are Poligrip lawsuits and the other two cases involve the use of Fixodent.