Results obtained from patients referred for the investigation of complaints related to oral galvanism.

One hundred consecutive patients, 74 women and 26 men, aged between 18 and 83 years (mean = 54.8 years), referred with complaints related to oral galvanism were investigated and treated and the treatment results were evaluated after 2-3 years. Forty of the patients reported facial pain, pain from the teeth, temporomandibular joints (TMJ) and masticatory muscles and TMJ clicking and locking and 26 reported headache. Smarting in the oral mucosa, smarting of the tongue and xerostomia were reported by 26, 21 and 24 patients, respectively, and 30 patients reported an unpleasant taste, a metallic taste or a battery taste. The same patient often reported several symptoms. The patients also reported various general symptoms, above all joint symptoms, pain in the back, neck and shoulders and general muscular pain but also tiredness, weakness, difficulty in concentrating, depression and insomnia. After clinical and radiological examination, salivary tests, determination of the maximum galvanic current at metallic contacts and screening for contact allergy to dental materials, various oral diagnoses could be established. Most of the patients exhibited functional disturbances of the masticatory system, periodontitis, smarting of the oral mucosa, xerostomia, pulpitis and pulpal necrosis and mucosal lesions. The medical illnesses the patients reported themselves to be suffering from or had been treated for included cardiovascular disorders, high and low blood pressure, asthma, rheumatic disorders, diabetes, pernicious anaemia, gastritis and peptic ulcer. Seventy-six patients took drugs regularly. In most cases there were several oral, dental and medical explanations for the symptoms.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)