Abstract:

Amalgam has been used for the restoration of teeth for more than 200 years, and it is may be the most successful of the direct restorative materials. One of the principal disadvantages of amalgam is that it may have adverse biological effects, both locally and systemically. It can cause an erythematous lesion on the adjacent oral soft tissues locally, and free mercury in the amalgam may give rise to a hypersensitivity reaction systemically.

The rare cases of allergic reactions in about 4% of tested patients we explain with the large oral tolerance and adaptive abilities of the oral cavity. We do not detect allergies in any of the dental medicine doctors. There is no positive test for both mercury and general product. Work with dental amalgam does not contribute to allergy as much as the persistent presence of the metal in the oral cavity. We may presume that dentists, being in constant contact with dental amalgam develop a kind of specific hyposensitization.