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PubMed · 15471104

Amalgam studies: disregarding basic principles of mercury toxicity.

J Mutter·J Naumann·C Sadaghiani·H Walach·G Drasch
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Abstract

Dental amalgam, which has been used for over 150 years in dental practice, consists of about 50% metallic mercury. Studies on animal and humans show that mercury is continuously released from dental amalgam and absorbed by several body tissues. It is widely accepted that the main source of mercury vapor is dental amalgam and it contributes substantially to mercury load in human body tissues. There is still a controversy about the consequences of this additional mercury exposure from amalgam to human health. Many studies were performed to evaluate possible adverse effects. In this comment, these studies were analyzed with regard to their methodical quality by considering the newest findings on mercury toxicity and metabolism. In sum, a number of studies are methodically flawed drawing inaccurate conclusions as to the safety of dental amalgam.

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Dental AmalgamHumansMercurySafetyJournal ArticleReview

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J Mutter, J Naumann, C Sadaghiani, H Walach, G Drasch. 2004. Amalgam studies: disregarding basic principles of mercury toxicity.. https://doi.org/10.1078/1438-4639-00305

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PubMed2006

Failure mode of dental restorative materials under Hertzian indentation.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the application of Hertzian indentation testing to amalgam and GIC; study the failure behavior of the bi-layer structure of each material on a relatively soft substrate; and investigate the effect of thickness. METHODS: Amalgam (Lojic+, SDI, Bayswater, Australia) and ceramic-reinforced GIC (Advanced Healthcare, Tonbridge, UK) discs, 10 mm diameter, thicknesses ranging from 0.4 to 8.0 mm, were tested resting freely on a substrate (30% glass fibre-reinforced polyamide; E=10GPa, 10 mm diameter and 5 mm thick). Increasing load was applied to the center of the disc by a 20 mm-diameter hard steel ball until fracture occurred. Acoustic emission sensing was used as a supplemental method for crack detection. The load at the first crack was recorded. Fracture surfaces were observed under SEM to identify the crack initiation site and the failure mode. RESULTS: The main failure mode of both materials shifted from bottom-initiated radial cracking to near-contact cone cracking or subsurface plastic deformation as the thickness was increased. There was a wide thickness range for the transition of the failure mode for amalgam. Failure load was proportional to the square of thickness for amalgam, except for deviations at small and very large thickness; for the GIC, it was proportional to the thickness to the power approximately 1.6, except for thin layers. SIGNIFICANCE: The Hertzian indentation test can be applied to investigate the failure behavior of amalgam and GIC in addition to ceramics, for which purpose it may have value as a routine test. Failure mode changed with specimen thickness. The importance of considering both failure mode and failure load or strength is emphasized.

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