Mercury Load of OrganismRelated to the Preparation and Replacement of Amalgam Fillings: a ModelStudy

Overview

A group of 20 patients indicated for the replacement of impaired amalgam fillingswere involved in this model study. In one session the two-surface amalgam filling to be repairedwas removed and a new filling either from amalgam (Ana 2000) or from composite resin(Charisma) was inserted. Samples of saliva and urine were taken before and after treatment, and then 3, 24, 48, 96 hrs and one and two weeks after treatment. Mercury in saliva and urinewas analyzed by the cold vapor mass absorption spectrophotometry. Mercury levels in salivarose during the treatment by roughly five logs (irrespective of the filling material used) whileurine mercury rose in the range of one log only. Significantly higher mercury levels in salivawere found when amalgam was used for filling. Three hrs after the treatment mercury levelsin saliva dropped by about one log and remained significantly higher when amalgam was usedfor filling. In this time interval mercury levels in urine rose by about one log and weresignificantly higher after the insertion of amalgam filling when compared with composite. 24hrs later the mercury levels in saliva and urine were still elevated by about one log withoutsignificant differences among filling materials used. After 48 and 96 hrs the mercury levels insaliva reached those found before treatment procedure. In urine however the mercury levelswere still elevated, significantly more when amalgam was used for filling. One and two weeksafter the treatment the mercury in saliva and urine returned well to the pretreatment levelsirrespective of the amalgam or composite were used for filling.

Key words:
amalgam filling – filling removal – composite filling – mercury – mercury insaliva – mercury in urine