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. 1996 Sep;40(3):169–179.

The dental amalgam controversy: a review

George Feuer, H Stephen Injeyan
PMCID: PMC2485143

Abstract

In spite of the long history of mercury amalgam as a dental restorative material, its use continues to be controversial.

Mercury vapour is continuously released from dental amalgam and is ultimately absorbed into a variety of tissues. Experimental data have demonstrated that the uptake, tissue retention and excretion of mercury from dental amalgam is significant. Evidence has accumulated indicating a relationship between tissue mercury levels and a multitude of clinical manifestations. However, the clinical significance of mercury toxicity from dental amalgams is a matter for debate. The literature is devoid of randomized clinical trials that are rigorously designed to address this issue.

Thus, although research data renders the notion of amalgam safety questionable, the dental community appears determined to continue its use as long as unequivocal evidence correlating amalgam mercury toxicity to specific clinical conditions is lacking.

Keywords: dental amalgam, mercury toxicity

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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