Reference no: EM133650784

Question 

The article "A Debate in the Dentist's Chair" described an ongoing debate over whether newer resin fillings are a better alternative to the more traditional silver amalgam fillings. Because amalgam fillings contain mercury, there is concern that they could be mildly toxic and prove to be a health risk to those with some types of immune and kidney disorders. One experiment described in the article used sheep as subjects and reported that sheep treated with amalgam fillings had impaired kidney function. (a) In the experiment, a control group of sheep that received no fillings was used but there was no placebo group. Explain why it is not necessary to have a placebo group in this experiment. The experimental subjects were sheep, who would not be aware whether or not they had fillings. Sheep develop kidney diseases from other causes. It is hard to get people to sign up for a study involving not filling a hole in their teeth. People develop impaired kidney functions from other causes. (b) The experiment compared only an amalgam filling treatment group to a control group. What would be the benefit of also including a resin filling treatment group in the experiment? To ensure that