Effects of magnetic fields from underwater electrical cutting on in vitro corrosion of dental amalgam.

Metallic taste has been reported from divers working with underwater electric welding and cutting. An in vitro model was designed to simulate the intraoral situation of the divers with respect to the magnetic field. Potentiostatic analyses were performed on amalgam samples exposed to AC and DC magnetic fields. Morphologic changes were analyzed using differential interference light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Chemical changes on the surface of the amalgam samples were analyzed with secondary ion mass spectrometry. Results demonstrated that dental amalgams exposed to a specific AC magnetic field underwent morphologic and chemical changes in the superficial amalgam layers.