Document Type

Article

Abstract

Mercury amalgams are still widely used in dentistry in many countries. There is considerable concern about uptake of Hg in both the patient and environment. It is an interesting question if the pathway is by Hg diffusion through the tissue of the tooth or dissolution in saliva or direct evaporation through inhaled air into the lung. Our previous study [1] of a high-Cu amalgam showed no evidence of diffusion through the enamel. However, a compositional change was observed on the biting surface of the amalgam which is indicative of tribochemical changes. To investigate if the above observation was true for other types of amalgam, 17 adult teeth with amalgam obtained as operation-waste from dental clinics. The samples were embedded and sliced into 1mm sections in the coronal plane of the tooth using a low/speed diamond saw with water-based cooling. Subsequently, the slices were mechanically polished in such way that polishing debris was swept away from the sample. Micro-PIXE with 2 MeV protons was carried out in vacuum using a standard Oxford –triplet configuration. In common with our previous study [1], sharp interfaces between the enamel and amalgam were observed with no strong evidence for Hg diffusion in the enamel. Little evidence exists consistent with the presence of tribochemical alteration by mastication. However, Zn was observed to be localized at different sites in the amalgam/enamel interface.

DOI

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2018.10.029

Publication Date

2018

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