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Polymers Mar 2021The incidence of dental caries, especially root caries, has risen in elderly populations in recent years. Specialized restorative materials are needed due to the... (Review)
Review
The incidence of dental caries, especially root caries, has risen in elderly populations in recent years. Specialized restorative materials are needed due to the specific site of root caries and the age-related changes in general and oral health in the elderly. Unfortunately, the restorative materials commonly used clinically cannot fully meet the requirements in this population. Specifically, the antibacterial, adhesive, remineralization, mechanical, and anti-aging properties of the materials need to be significantly improved for dental caries in the elderly. This review mainly discusses the strengths and weaknesses of currently available materials, including amalgam, glass ionomer cement, and light-cured composite resin, for root caries. It also reviews the studies on novel anti-caries materials divided into three groups, antimicrobial, remineralization, and self-healing materials, and explores their potential in the clinical use for caries in the elderly. Therefore, specific restorative materials for caries in the elderly, especially for root caries, need to be further developed and applied in clinical practice.
PubMed: 33800358
DOI: 10.3390/polym13050828 -
Maxillofacial Plastic and... Oct 2023A range of different chemical interactions can generate an unexpected electronic current in a process called galvanism. Oral galvanism (OG) can also be generated by... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
A range of different chemical interactions can generate an unexpected electronic current in a process called galvanism. Oral galvanism (OG) can also be generated by different chemical actions from diverse intraoral rehabilitated metals, including gold, copper, mercury, titanium, and titanium alloy. The main aim of this manuscript is to review OG, particularly focusing on titanium implants and related metallic materials. We searched the MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases for relevant literature published through December 2019. The keywords included "galvanic current", "galvanism", "galvanic corrosion", "oral galvanism", combined with "oral", "oral cavity", "implant", and "saliva."
RESULTS
Out of 343 articles, 126 articles that met the inclusion criteria were reviewed. We examined and summarized research on OG through a division into four categories: definition and symptoms, diagnosis with testing methods, galvanic corrosion, and oral precancerous lesions with OG.
CONCLUSIONS
Patients with OG have high oral energy and current, and although this phenomenon may be due to the patient's mental illness, OG due to amalgam or mercury occurs. It is evident that the difference in electron potential caused by different elemental components such as titanium alloy and pure titanium, which are essential for manufacturing the implant fixture and the abutment, and chrome and nickel, which are essential for manufacturing the upper crown, causes OG. Since the oral cavity is equipped with an environment in which electric current can be transmitted easily due to saliva, it is imperative that clinicians review the systemic and local effects of salivation.
PubMed: 37801180
DOI: 10.1186/s40902-023-00403-8 -
British Dental Journal May 2022Much has been written about dental amalgam. Over many years, it has served the profession well, yet on environmental grounds its use is being phased down. This article...
Much has been written about dental amalgam. Over many years, it has served the profession well, yet on environmental grounds its use is being phased down. This article seeks to explore key milestones in the history and development of this versatile material, as well as highlighting how international standards have assisted in reducing environmental mercury contamination.
Topics: Dental Amalgam; Environmental Pollution; Mercury
PubMed: 35562464
DOI: 10.1038/s41415-022-4204-z -
Journal of Dental Research Jul 2020
Topics: Composite Resins; Dental Amalgam; Dental Research; Dental Restoration, Permanent; Mercury; Policy
PubMed: 32315245
DOI: 10.1177/0022034520915878 -
Integrated Environmental Assessment and... Sep 2021Dental amalgam from dental clinics in Kosova is an uncontrolled source of mercury. The environmental legislative framework related to its use does not fully provide...
Dental amalgam from dental clinics in Kosova is an uncontrolled source of mercury. The environmental legislative framework related to its use does not fully provide measures that reduce amalgam use and the release of its waste into the environment. This paper highlights issues related to environmental policy covering mercury amalgam waste management. Existing national regulations on hazardous waste management in Kosova consider the waste from dental health care as hazardous. Currently, however, no regulations restrict the use of dental amalgam or specifically oblige the generators of amalgam to treat or dispose of waste properly, thus leading to inconsistent legislation. New regulations, revised hazardous waste management standards, and new infrastructure for waste treatment and disposal, in compliance with EU regulations, should be developed to create a holistic approach that prevents the adverse effects of amalgam waste. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2021;17:1037-1044. © 2021 SETAC.
Topics: Dental Amalgam; Environmental Policy; Hazardous Waste; Humans; Medical Waste Disposal; Mercury; Waste Management
PubMed: 33710765
DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4408 -
Journal of Neuroimaging : Official... 2023When head and neck infection is suspected, appropriate imaging contributes to treatment decisions and prognosis. While contrast-enhanced CT is the standard imaging... (Review)
Review
When head and neck infection is suspected, appropriate imaging contributes to treatment decisions and prognosis. While contrast-enhanced CT is the standard imaging modality for evaluating head and neck infections, MRI can better characterize the skull base, intracranial involvement, and osteomyelitis, implying that these are complementary techniques for a comprehensive assessment. Both CT and MRI are useful in the evaluation of abscesses and thrombophlebitis, while MRI is especially useful in the evaluation of intracranial inflammatory spread/abscess formation, differentiation of abscess from other conditions, evaluation of the presence and activity of inflammation and osteomyelitis, evaluation of mastoid extension in middle ear cholesteatoma, and evaluation of facial neuritis and labyrinthitis. Apparent diffusion coefficient derived from diffusion-weighted imaging is useful for differential diagnosis and treatment response of head and neck infections in various anatomical sites. Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI perfusion may be useful in assessing the activity of skull base osteomyelitis. MR bone imaging may be of additional value in evaluating bony structures of the skull base and jaw. Dual-energy CT is helpful in reducing metal artifacts, evaluating deep neck abscess, and detecting salivary stones. Subtraction CT techniques are used to detect progressive bone-destructive changes and to reduce dental amalgam artifacts. This article provides a region-based approach to the imaging evaluation of head and neck infections, using both conventional and advanced imaging techniques.
Topics: Humans; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Abscess; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Head; Osteomyelitis
PubMed: 36922159
DOI: 10.1111/jon.13099 -
The British Journal of Dermatology May 2024Concerns regarding contact allergies and intolerance reactions to dental materials are widespread among patients. Development of novel dental materials and less frequent...
BACKGROUND
Concerns regarding contact allergies and intolerance reactions to dental materials are widespread among patients. Development of novel dental materials and less frequent amalgam use may alter sensitization profiles in patients with possible contact allergy.
OBJECTIVES
To analyse current sensitization patterns to dental materials in patients with suspected contact allergy.
METHODS
This retrospective, multicentre analysis from the Information Network of Departments of Dermatology (IVDK) selected participants from 169 834 people tested in 2005-2019 and registered with (i) an affected area of 'mouth' (and 'lips'/'perioral'), (ii) with the dental material in question belonging to one of three groups (dental filling materials, oral implants or dentures or equivalents) and (iii) with patch-testing done in parallel with the German baseline series, (dental) metal series and dental technician series.
RESULTS
A total of 2730 of 169 834 tested patients met the inclusion criteria. The patients were predominantly women (81.2%) aged ≥ 40 years (92.8%). The sensitization rates with confirmed allergic contact stomatitis in women (n = 444) were highest for metals (nickel 28.6%, palladium 21.4%, amalgam 10.9%), (meth)acrylates [2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) 4.8%] and the substances propolis (6.8%) and 'balsam of Peru' (11.4%). The most relevant acrylates were HEMA, 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate, methyl methacrylate, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate and pentaerythritol triacrylate. Few men were diagnosed with allergic contact stomatitis (n = 68); sensitization rates in men were highest for propolis (14.9%) and amalgam (13.6%).
CONCLUSIONS
Allergic contact stomatitis to dental materials is rare. Patch testing should not only focus on metals such as nickel, palladium, amalgam and gold, but also (meth)acrylates and the natural substances propolis and 'balsam of Peru'.
Topics: Humans; Female; Male; Retrospective Studies; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact; Adult; Middle Aged; Dental Materials; Patch Tests; Dental Amalgam; Aged; Adolescent; Young Adult; Child; Methacrylates; Balsams; Dental Implants; Stomatitis; Propolis; Dentures; Germany; Allergens; Child, Preschool
PubMed: 38123140
DOI: 10.1093/bjd/ljad525 -
Environmental Science & Technology Nov 2020The Minamata Convention on Mercury (ref. 1) is a global treaty to protect human and environmental health from adverse effects of the toxic element mercury and its...
The Minamata Convention on Mercury (ref. 1) is a global treaty to protect human and environmental health from adverse effects of the toxic element mercury and its compounds. During the Third Conference of Parties (COP-3) in November 2019, elimination of the use of dental amalgam in oral health care was discussed. Dental amalgam is one of the most commonly used restorative materials in oral health care due to its strength and longevity (ref. 2). However, the use of mercury in an amalgam adds to global environmental mercury pollution and can contribute to adverse health effects on humans and other organisms. The outcomes of the COP-3 meeting included a call for information on the availability at a national scale, the economic and technical feasibility of alternatives, and the associated risks or benefits. In this feature, we discuss the risks and benefits of dental amalgam, the global tracking of availability and procurement, and the implications and realities for global phase out. We suggest a better accounting of mercury use in dental amalgam is needed with sales being made only to registered practitioners via a Know Your Customer approach.
Topics: Dental Amalgam; Environmental Pollution; Humans; International Cooperation; Mercury
PubMed: 33141561
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c01248 -
Toxicological Sciences : An Official... Oct 2021Human exposure to organic mercury (Hg) as methylmercury (MeHg) from seafood consumption is widely considered a health risk because pure methylmercury is extremely...
Human exposure to organic mercury (Hg) as methylmercury (MeHg) from seafood consumption is widely considered a health risk because pure methylmercury is extremely neurotoxic. In contrast, the clinical significance of Hg exposure from amalgam (AMG) dental restorations, the only other major nonoccupational source of Hg exposure, has long been debated. Here, we examined data from the two most recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) on 14 181 subjects to assess the contributions of seafood consumption versus AMG to blood total mercury (THg), inorganic mercury (IHg), and methyl mercury (MeHg) and to urine creatinine corrected mercury (UTHg). All subjects were also classified as to their self-reported qualitative consumption of seafood (59% fish and 44% shellfish). Subjects with restorations were grouped into three groups (0) those without AMG (64.4%), (1) those with 1-5 dental AMG restorations (19.7%), (2) those with more than five AMG (16%). Seafood consumption increased total mercury in urine (UTHg) and total mercury (THg) and methyl mercury (MeHg) in blood, but unlike AMG, seafood did not increase blood inorganic mercury (IHg). Using stratified covariate (ANOVA) and multivariate (GLM) analyses revealed a strong correlation of blood (THg and IHg) and urine (UTHg) levels with the number of AMGs. In a subpopulation without fish consumption, having more than five AMG restorations raised blood THg (103%), IHg (221%), and urine UTHg (221%) over the group without AMG. The most striking difference was noted in classification by age: subjects under 6 years old with more than five AMG restorations had the highest blood IHg and urine UTHg among all age groups. Elevation of bivalent IHg on a large scale in children warrants urgent in-depth risk assessment with specific attention to genetic- and gender-associated vulnerabilities.
Topics: Animals; Fishes; Humans; Mercury; Methylmercury Compounds; Nutrition Surveys; Seafood
PubMed: 34453845
DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfab108 -
Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science Oct 2023The association between dental amalgam fillings and urine mercury concentrations was investigated in this study to assess the health risks associated with dental...
BACKGROUND
The association between dental amalgam fillings and urine mercury concentrations was investigated in this study to assess the health risks associated with dental amalgams.
METHODS
This cross-sectional study included 99 women in their 20s who visited the dental clinic in Daegu, Korea. The 99 participants were composed of 68 subjects who had dental amalgam fillings (exposure group) and 31 subjects who did not have dental amalgam fillings (nonexposure group). Oral examinations were conducted by a single dental hygienist, sociodemographic features were investigated as confounding variables, and urine mercury concentrations were measured using an automatic mercury analyzer.
RESULTS
The mean±standard deviation of the urine mercury concentrations of the exposure and nonexposure groups were 1.50±1.78 μg/g creatinine and 0.53±0.63 μg/g creatinine, respectively. The exposure group showed significantly higher levels than the nonexposure group (p<0.01). The urine mercury concentration significantly increased with an increase in the number of teeth filled with amalgam, cavity surfaces involved, and number of defective amalgam fillings, and according to the latest exposure time (p<0.001). In the multiple regression analysis of amalgam-related factors and urine mercury concentrations after correction for confounding factors, the urine mercury concentration in the group with six or more amalgam-filled teeth, 11 or more cavity surfaces, and two or more defective amalgams was significantly higher than that in the nonexposure group (p<0.001).
CONCLUSION
According to this study, exposure to dental amalgams was confirmed to significantly affect urine mercury concentrations.
PubMed: 36941777
DOI: 10.12701/jyms.2022.00955