Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, Akdeniz University, Dumlupınar Avenue, 07058, Antalya, Turkey.
Biol Trace Elem Res. 2024 May;202(5):1965-1971. doi: 10.1007/s12011-023-03825-7. Epub 2023 Aug 26.
Mercury, which is found in dental amalgams, is considered to be the most toxic non-radioactive element. However, the health policies of different countries have not reached a consensus on the use and safety of amalgam. This study aims to investigate the effect of amalgam restorations on mercury concentration in saliva, as well as the effect of restoration number, surface number, and chewing on this concentration. A total of 86 participants were included in this study (an equal number for the study and control groups). The number of amalgam restorations and their surfaces were recorded. While both unstimulated and stimulated saliva were collected from the study group, only unstimulated saliva was collected from the control group. The effect of chewing on mercury concentration was examined in the study group with unstimulated and stimulated saliva specimens using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry device. Mercury concentration in the unstimulated saliva was found to be higher in the study group compared to the control group (p= 0.000). As the number of amalgam restorations and the number of amalgam restoration surfaces increased, the mercury concentration in the saliva increased (p= 0.015 and p= 0.021, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference between mercury levels in the unstimulated saliva and the stimulated saliva (p=0.316). Chewing presented an insignificant difference in mercury concentration. Given this surprising result, the effect of chewing on mercury concentrations should be explored more extensively in future research.
汞存在于银汞合金中，被认为是最具毒性的非放射性元素。然而，不同国家的卫生政策并未就银汞合金的使用和安全性达成共识。本研究旨在探讨银汞合金修复对唾液中汞浓度的影响，以及修复数量、表面数量和咀嚼对该浓度的影响。本研究共纳入 86 名参与者（研究组和对照组各占一半）。记录了银汞合金修复的数量及其表面数量。研究组采集了未刺激和刺激唾液，而对照组仅采集了未刺激唾液。使用电感耦合等离子体质谱仪装置，在研究组中用未刺激和刺激唾液样本检测咀嚼对汞浓度的影响。研究组的未刺激唾液中的汞浓度高于对照组（p=0.000）。随着银汞合金修复数量和表面数量的增加，唾液中的汞浓度也随之增加（p=0.015 和 p=0.021）。未刺激唾液和刺激唾液中的汞水平之间无统计学差异（p=0.316）。咀嚼对汞浓度无显著影响。鉴于这一令人惊讶的结果，未来的研究应更广泛地探讨咀嚼对汞浓度的影响。
