Corrosion of copper, nickel, and gold dental casting alloys: an in vitro and in vivo study.

The corrosion behavior of commercially available copper, nickel, and gold alloys for dental castings was investigated. The alloys investigated included: three copper alloys (76-87Cu, 6-11A1, 0-12Zn, 1-5Ni, 0-4Fe, 0.5-1.2Mn), two nickel alloys (68-78Ni, 12-16Cr, 4-14Mo, 0-1.7Be), and one gold alloy (77Au, 14Ag, 8Cu, 1Pd). Anodic and cathodic polarization curves, long-term immersion tests in saline and artificial saliva solutions, and dog crown studies were conducted to evaluate both the in vitro and in vivo corrosion characteristics of the alloys. All evaluations conducted demonstrated that the copper alloys were highly susceptible to corrosion attack. High corrosion currents were observed in the in vitro tests, and SEM of the alloys specimens showed significantly altered surfaces. The anodic polarization curves predicted that the beryllium-containing nickel alloy should be susceptible to localized corrosion and SEM revealed an etched surface with corrosion of certain microstructural features. No significant corrosion was predicted or observed for the non-beryllium nickel alloy and the gold alloy. The in vitro corrosion evaluations predicted the in vivo corrosion behavior for the alloys. Since the three copper alloys and the beryllium-containing nickel alloy demonstrated significant corrosion under the tested conditions, the use of these alloys for restorative procedures is questionable due to the release of significant levels of selected ions to the oral cavity.