Dental Amalgam Toxicity I

Abstract

Tijekom svoje 150-godišnje uporabe dentalni je amalgam stalno napadan zbog nekih svojih svojstava, a ponajviše zbog moguće toksičnosti. Toksičnost se uglavnom pripisivala živi koja čini 50% amalgamske slitine. U ovome radu opisana je kratka povijest toksičnosti dentalnog amalgama, navedeni su osnovni sastojci amalgama, njihova pojedinačna toksičnost i moguća toksičnost amalgamske slitine. Opisani su i mogući načini otpuštanja pojedinih sastojaka dentalnog amalgama u obliku živinih para, čestica amalgama i korozijskih proizvoda uslijed djelovanja korozije, mehaničkih sila i njihova zajedničkog učinka na amalgamski ispun. Navedeni su i mogući načini prodora tih otpuštenih sastojaka u organizam nositelja amalgamskog ispuna.The safety of dental amalgam as a material for dental restorations has been debated since its introduction in the 19th century. A concern is that mercury, a heavy metal that is toxic in sufficient quantities, accounts for about 50 percent of amalgam weight.This review describes a short history of dental amalgam toxicity, names the basic ingredients of the amalgam and their toxicity - singly and as an amalgam alloy. Furthermore, possible ways are described of releasing some ingredients of dental amalgam as mercury vapor, particles of dental amalgam and corrosion product, caused by corrosion, mechanical forces and their mutual influence on the amalgam filling. The main possible routes of mercury and other ingredient’s uptake from amalgam restorations are described