Measurement of in vivo corrosion rates in baboons, and correlation with in vitro tests.

The Lineal Polarization Technique was used to determine the polarization resistances and corrosion currents of various dental restorative and implant alloys and amalgams placed in the teeth of animals, and as laboratory samples in artificial saliva. Gold- and chromium-containing alloys corroded the least, and amalgams generated the highest corrosion currents. There was good agreement between measurements made in vivo and in vitro. This is the first time that corrosion current have been measured in the mouth repeatedly over a long time span. These methods may be developed into useful predictive tests of in vivo corrosion.