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Mercury content in amalgam tattoos of humanoral mucosa and its relation to local tissue reactions
Author(s) -
Forsell Marianne,
Larsson Barbro,
Ljungqvist Arne,
Carlmark Björn,
Johansson Olle
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
european journal of oral sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.802
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1600-0722
pISSN - 0909-8836
DOI - 10.1046/j.0909-8836.1998.eos106108.x
Subject(s) - medicine , general hospital , university hospital , dermatology , psychology , pediatrics , emergency medicine
Mucosal biopsies from 48 patients with and 9 without amalgam tattoos were analysed with respect to their mercury content, distribution of mercury in the tissue, and histological tissue reactions. The distribution of mercury was assessed by autometallography (AMG), a silver amplification technique. The mercury content was determined by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF), a multielemental analysis. Mercury was observed in connective tissue where it was confined to fibroblasts and macrophages, in vessel walls and in structures with the histological character of nerve fibres. A correlation was found between the histopathological tissue reaction, the type of mercury deposition, the intensity of the AMG reaction, and the mercury content. Mercury was also found in patients with amalgam dental fillings but without amalgam tattoos.