Amalgam
Amalgam: Is it safe as a dental restoration ?
Dental amalgam is an alloy of mercury, silver, copper, and tin, which may also contain palladium, zinc, and other elements to improve handling characteristics and clinical performance. JPT9
Amalgam types based on copper concentration:
- Low copper ( 6% )
Silver, tin copper, zinc
- High copper ( 13-30% )
- Silver, tin, copper
- Produce amalgams with higher strength, higher corrosion resistance, less marginal breakdown, and low creep
Amalgam allay can be classified into : lathe cut, spherical and admixed
Spherical amalgams
Less mercury
Stronger and easier consistency to work with
Sets faster
Admixed amalgams
More control during condensation
Adapt better to cavity walls
Produce better contacts with adjacent teeth
Mechanical properties
Compressive Strength: Spherical: 262MPa (1hr) and 510 (7 day)
Tensile Strength: 64 MPa (24hr)
Creep: 0.13%
Survival rate amalgam Vs. resin composite
Opdam et al, 2006
Amalgam
91.7% (5 year)
82% (10 year)
Resin composite
89% (5 year)
79% (10 year)
Is amalgam safe as a restorative material?
Robert, et al 2009:
No evidence exist to show amalgam is direct hazard to patient health
Mark 2019
For 150 years, dentists have used dental amalgam. It is a safe, strong, and long-lasting material that costs less than other materials.
American Dental Association (ADA)
"Dental amalgam is a safe, affordable and durable restorative material"
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
The majority of evidence shows exposure to mercury from dental amalgam does not lead to negative health effects in the general population.
These high-risk populations include:
- Pregnant women and their developing fetuses;
- Women who are planning to become pregnant;
- Nursing women and their newborns and infants;
- Children, especially those younger than six years of age;
- People with pre-existing neurological disease;
- People with impaired kidney function;
- People with known heightened sensitivity (allergy) to mercury or other components (silver, copper, tin) of dental amalgam.
