Dependence of kinetic variables in the short-term release of Hg2+, Cu2+ and Zn2+ ions into synthetic saliva from an high-copper dental amalgam.

The short term (up to 14 days after restoration) release of selected ions (i.e., Hg(2+), Cu(2+) and Zn(2+)) from Dispersalloy into artificial saliva has been evaluated in regards to the nature of the saliva (Fusayama and McCarty and Shklar's solutions), the amount of amalgam, the time of contact and the periodical renewal (every 48 h interval) of artificial saliva. The evaluation of the ionic fraction of such metals has been accomplished by using anodic stripping methods (i.e., Differential Pulse Anodic Stripping Voltammetry, DPASV) with a 7 microm graphite disk microelectrode as a working electrode. Data obtained in this work are almost unprecedented in the literature due the fact that such analytical method exclude metals in non-ionic forms (e.g., metals or organometallic compounds). The high concentrations measured in every experimental condition confirm the concern for the short-term release of metals from amalgam into saliva.