Exposure to mercury vapor during setting, removing, and polishing amalgam restorations

✍ Scribed by Haikel, Y. ;Gasser, P. ;Salek, P. ;Voegel, J. C.

• Book ID: 102291602
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1990
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 444 KB
• Volume: 24
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-9304
• DOI: 10.1002/jbm.820241110

✦ Synopsis

The level of mercury vapors in the oral cavity was determined by analyzing 242 samples of intra-oral air before and after removing, setting, and polishing dental amalgam. The analysis was effected using atomic absorption spectrometry in cold vapors with the detection limit of 6 pg/m3. A score of 1 to 3 was assigned to each restoration to adjust the differences of the amalgam sizes. The present study showed that the vapor was released during any procedure: removing, setting, and polishing amalgam. The mean levels were between 85 and 326 &m3. However, before the restorative procedures, no mercury vapors had been detected in the oral cavity. This investigation has also demonstrated a significant direct correlation between Hg vapor concentrations in intra-oral air and the sizes of amalgam restorations during each procedure: removing, setting, and polishing. The statistic analysis showed no significant difference of mercury vapors in the oral cavity between the use or nonuse of water coolant during the amalgam polishing.