Dental amalgam. III: Toxicity.

Amalgam fillings contribute to the total exposure of the population to mercury in an analytically measurable way. As a matter of principle, it is therefore desirable to minimize the exposure to mercury. At the same time, this has to be balanced against necessities of dental surgery. Considering the inevitability of using amalgam in dental surgery, there is, at present, no reason to renounce this material from a toxicological point of view. There is no indication for mobilization tests and zinc therapy in combination with the mercury exposure from amalgam fillings.