The Hazardous Effects of Dental Amalgam Fillings in Human Body: A Systematic Review

The Dental amalgam used in the dental fillings is basically an alloy of mercury (Hg). The amalgam is one of the most commonly used and versatile restorative material. Since more than 150 years this alloy of mercury, that is amalgam is used for it been economical, easy to use, durable, high strength and bacterio-static characteristics. Due to environmental pollution, detrimental health its use is decreasing in recent times. Also its not so appealing like the other materials used that resemble the tooth color. The tooth coloured restorative materials are recommended by both the doctor and the patient. Many researchers suggested that over the period of time the mercury from the filling might leach into the mouth. Thus in this study a detailed review of all the literature available online is done to understand the hazardous effects of dental amalgam fillings in the human body. The systematic literature search using Scopus, PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science electronic databases was done using PRISMA. The experiments conducted in Sheep and monkey suggested the penetration of amalgam into the jaw bone of the patient with dental restorations. Constant exposure of mercury at lower levels can also lead to multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Most commonly reported renal dysfunction due to the dental amalgams are Tubular and Glomerular damage of the kidneys.

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Rethinking the Dental Amalgam Dilemma: An Integrated Toxicological Approach

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16061036 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. 1036 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Hector Jirau-Colón ◽

Leonardo González-Parrilla ◽

Jorge Martinez-Jiménez ◽

Waldemar Adam ◽

Braulio Jiménez-Velez

Keyword(s):

Current Knowledge ◽

Epidemiological Data ◽

Mercury Vapor ◽

The United States ◽

Dental Amalgam ◽

Naturally Occurring ◽

Toxic Pollutant ◽

Dental Amalgams ◽

Dental Amalgam Fillings ◽

Amalgam Fillings

Mercury (Hg) has been identified as one of the most toxic nonradioactive materials known to man. Although mercury is a naturally occurring element, anthropogenic mercury is now a major worldwide concern and is an international priority toxic pollutant. It also comprises one of the primary constituents of dental amalgam fillings. Even though dental mercury amalgams have been used for almost two centuries, its safety has never been tested or proven in the United States by any regulatory agency. There has been an ongoing debate regarding the safety of its use since 1845, and many studies conclude that its use exposes patients to troublesome toxicity. In this review, we present in an objective way the danger of dental amalgam to human health based on current knowledge. This dilemma is addressed in terms of an integrated toxicological approach by focusing on four mayor issues to show how these interrelate to create the whole picture: (1) the irrefutable constant release of mercury vapor from dental amalgams which is responsible for individual chronic exposure, (2) the evidence of organic mercury formation from dental amalgam in the oral cavity, (3) the effect of mercury exposure on gene regulation in human cells which supports the intrinsic genetic susceptibility to toxicant and, finally, (4) the availability of recent epidemiological data supporting the link of dental amalgams to diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson.

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Perception of Patients with Amalgam Fillings about Toxicity of Mercury in Dental Amalgam

The Journal of Contemporary Dental Practice ◽

10.5005/jp-journals-10024-1139 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 289-293 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

CT Bamise ◽

Adeleke O Oginni ◽

Michael A Adedigba ◽

OO Olagundoye

Keyword(s):

Formal Education ◽

Dental Amalgam ◽

Mercury Content ◽

Filling Material ◽

Human Beings ◽

Dental Fillings ◽

Dental Hospital ◽

Dental Amalgams ◽

Level Of Agreement ◽

Amalgam Fillings

ABSTRACT Objective The objective of this study is to evaluate the awareness of patients with dental fillings about the toxicity of mercury in dental amalgam. Materials and methods Adult patients having at least one amalgam filling in their mouth were recruited in the Oral Diagnosis Department of OAUTHC, Ile-Ife Dental Hospital. Participants were recruited consecutively as they report in the clinic. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire developed based on standard questions from relevant publications. They were asked to indicate the type of filling material in their mouth, ingredients of the material, previous knowledge of mercury in dental amalgam and ailments due to mercury. They were to indicate their level of agreement with filling their cavities with dental amalgam despite prior information about its mercury content. Results There were about 446 respondents analyzed; male, 194 (43.5%); female 252 (56.5%). Six (1.4%) and 21 (4.7%) respondents were primary and secondary schools students respectively; 15(3.4%) had no formal education while about 410 (91.9%) were either undergraduate or graduate. All of them had at least one amalgam filling. 249 (55%) participants know the type of filling on their teeth; 156 (34.5%) had the knowledge of the presence of mercury in dental amalgam while 26.1% believed mercury can cause problems in human beings. About 90 (19.9%) participants claimed to have heard about adverse reactions to dental amalgams and 34 (7.5%) of them have heard about people recovering from an illness after removal of their filling. The level of agreement with filling their cavities with amalgam despite prior knowledge of its mercury content was 74% while 60% was observed for allowing just any material to be placed on their teeth. Conclusion Awareness of toxicity of mercury in dental amalgam was slightly low among the respondents studied. This may be suggested to be a reflection of nonexistent of global amalgam controversy in Nigeria. How to cite this article Bamise CT, Oginni AO, Adedigba MA, Olagundoye OO. Perception of Patients with Amalgam Fillings about Toxicity of Mercury in Dental Amalgam. J Contemp Dent Pract 2012;13(3):289-293.

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Isolasi bakteri resisten merkuri pada urin pasien dengan tumpatan amalgam di Puskesmas Tikala Baru

Jurnal e-Biomedik ◽

10.35790/ebm.4.2.2016.14601 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Regina E.M. Kepel ◽

. Fatimawali ◽

Fona Budiarso

Keyword(s):

Human Body ◽

Dental Amalgam ◽

Resistant Bacteria ◽

Continuous Exposure ◽

High Concentration ◽

Biochemical Tests ◽

Mer Operon ◽

Dental Amalgam Fillings ◽

Mercury Resistant Bacteria ◽

Amalgam Fillings

Abstract: Mercury, a heavy metal, can be toxic to human body if it is exposed in high concentration. This metal has been used as dental amalgam fillings in dentistry since 150 years ago to reconstruct decayed teeth. Due to continuous exposure of mercury, bacteria inside human body have evolved mechanism of resistance toward higher form of mercury, due to the mer operon that has been charactherized in the plasmid. This study was aimed to find out whether there were mercury-resistant bacteria isolated from the urine of patients with dental amalgam fillings at Puskesmas (Primary health care) Tikala Baru, and identify the mercury-resistant bacteria. This was a descriptive exploratory study. Samples were mercury-resistant bacterial strains in the urine of patients with dental amalgam fillings who visited Puskesmas Tikala Baru. The results of mercury-resistant test showed that there were mercury-resistant bacteria in every concentrations. The morphological, physiological, and biochemical tests obtained 7 mercury-resistant bacterial genus, as follows: Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Hafnia, Klebsiella, Enterobacter, Escherichia, and Bacillus. Conclusion: There were 7 genus of mercury-resistant bacteria which identified from urine of patient with dental amalgam fillings. Keywords: amalgam, mercury resistant bacteria. Abstrak: Merkuri merupakan suatu logam berat yang dapat bersifat toksik bila terpapar dengan tubuh manusia dalam konsentrasi tinggi. Penggunaan merkuri dalam amalgam telah digunakan dalam bidang kedokteran gigi selama hampir 150 tahun untuk merekonstruksi gigi berlubang. Akibat adanya paparan merkuri secara terus menerus, bakteri dalam tubuh manusia telah mengevolusi mekanisme resisten terhadap bentuk merkuri yang lebih tinggi di lingkungan, disebabkan oleh mer operon yang terkandung dalam plasmid. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui apakah terdapat bakteri resisten merkuri yang diisolasi dari urin pasien dengan tambalan merkuri di Puskesmas Tikala Baru, serta mengidentifikasi jenis dari bakteri resisten merkuri tersebut. Jenis penelitian ialah deskriptif eksploratif. Sampel yang digunakan ialah koloni bakteri yang resisten terhadap merkuri, yang terdapat dalam urin pasien dengan amalgam yang berkunjung ke Puskesmas Tikala Baru. Dari hasil uji resistensi merkuri, terdapat bakteri resisten merkuri pada setiap konsentrasi. Setelah dilakukan uji morfologi, fisiologi, dan biokimia didapatkan 7 genus bakteri yang resisten terhadap merkuri, yaitu Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Hafnia, Klebsiella, Enterobacter, Escherichia, dan Bacillus. Simpulan: Terdapat 7 genus bakteri resisten merkuri yang teridentifikasi dalam urin pasien dengan tumpatan amalgam di Puskesmas Tikala Baru. Kata kunci: amalgam, bakteri resisten merkuri

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Mercury Exposure Assessment in Mother–Infant Pairs from Continental and Coastal Croatia

Biomolecules ◽

10.3390/biom10060821 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 821 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ankica Sekovanić ◽

Martina Piasek ◽

Tatjana Orct ◽

Antonija Sulimanec Grgec ◽

Marijana Matek Sarić ◽

...

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Blood Serum ◽

Fish Consumption ◽

Dental Amalgam ◽

Maternal Serum ◽

Postpartum Women ◽

Cord Blood Serum ◽

Dental Amalgams ◽

Dental Amalgam Fillings ◽

Amalgam Fillings

The main source of mercury (Hg) exposure in the general population is fish. Another possible source is dental amalgam. Here, we compare the levels of Hg and selenium (Se) in samples of maternal and fetal origin collected shortly after childbirth of healthy postpartum women in the coastal (n = 96) and continental (n = 185) areas of Croatia related to maternal seafood/fish consumption. We also evaluated Hg concentrations and maternal serum metallothionein (MT2) concentrations in relation to the number of dental amalgam fillings, and MT2A-5A/G (rs28366003) polymorphism. The levels of Hg and Se in maternal hair and blood/serum, placenta and cord blood/serum increased in relation to increasing fish consumption with the highest values in subjects from the coast. The concentrations of each element and between elements correlated across the matrices. Increasing amalgam number correlated linearly with increased Hg levels in maternal and cord serum and was not associated with serum MT2. No association of MT2A-5A/G polymorphism and Hg or Se levels were found. The results confirmed higher fish consumption in coastal vs. continental Croatia and increases of both Hg and Se related to fish consumption in all analyzed samples. Increased blood Hg reflected the predominant MeHg share from seafood, while increased serum Hg matched exposure from dental amalgams.

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A Comparison of Mental Health of Multiple Sclerosis Patients with Silver/Mercury Dental Fillings and Those with Fillings Removed

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.1992.70.3c.1139 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 70 (3_suppl) ◽

pp. 1139-1151 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Robert L. Siblerud

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Health Status ◽

Anger Expression ◽

Dental Amalgam ◽

Mental Health Status ◽

Dental Fillings ◽

Dental Amalgam Fillings ◽

Multiple Sclerosis Patients ◽

Amalgam Fillings

In this study was compared the mental health status of 47 multiple sclerosis patients with silver/mercury tooth fillings (amalgams) to that of 50 patients with their fillings removed. On the Beck Depression Inventory the multiple sclerosis subjects with amalgams suffered significantly more depression while their scores on the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory indicated the former group also exhibited significantly more anger. On the SCL-90 Revised, subjects with amalgam fillings had significantly more symptoms of depression, hostility, psychotism, and were more obsessive-compulsive than the patients with such fillings removed. On a questionnaire containing 18 mental health symptoms multiple sclerosis subjects with amalgam fillings reported a history of 43% more symptoms than those without amalgam fillings over the past 12 months. These data suggested that the poorer mental health status exhibited by multiple sclerosis subjects with dental amalgam fillings may be associated with mercury toxicity from the amalgam.

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