Prevalence and distribution of dental restorative materials in US Air Force veterans.
OBJECTIVE
Millions of restorative procedures are performed annually in the United States, yet very little is known about their distribution in the general population. With increasing concern about potential adverse health effects of some restorative materials, a better understanding of the extent of exposure to these materials in the population is important. The purpose of this study is to report the prevalence, patterns, and distribution of dental restorative materials in a population of male veterans.


METHODS
This collaborative study with the US Air Force examined 1,166 male veterans to assess exposure to dental amalgam and other restorative materials. An inventory of dental materials in the study population was obtained through oral examinations. Dental materials were classified into five categories: (1) amalgam; (2) resin; (3) porcelain, cement, or temporary, including ionomer (PCT); (4) cast gold alloys/direct filling gold; and (5) other metals (OM). The mean age of the study participants was 52.9 years. Over 94 percent of the study participants were dentate.


RESULTS
The study participants averaged 45.8 restored/replaced surfaces. Restored/replaced surfaces increased with age while the number of teeth decreased with age. The most frequently used restorative material was amalgam, averaging 19.89 surfaces per subject, followed by PCT (9.38), resins (8.99), OM (5.52), and gold (4.91). The distributions of restorative materials varied by age, arch type, and location in the mouth.


CONCLUSIONS
The study population experienced substantial exposure to dental materials.
Albertini
T F
TF
Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Dental Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. albertinit@de45.nidr.nih.gov
Kingman
A
A
Brown
L J
LJ
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001359:Aviation; D003722:Dental Alloys / Q000009:adverse effects; D003723:Dental Amalgam / Q000009:adverse effects; D003738:Dental Cements / Q000009:adverse effects; D003764:Dental Materials / Q000009:adverse effects; D003776:Dental Porcelain / Q000009:adverse effects; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003794:Dental Restoration, Temporary / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003817:Dentition; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005899:Glass Ionomer Cements / Q000009:adverse effects; D006047:Gold Alloys / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D007575:Jaw, Edentulous / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012117:Resins, Synthetic / Q000009:adverse effects; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014728:Veterans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D003722:Dental Alloys; D003738:Dental Cements; D003764:Dental Materials; D005899:Glass Ionomer Cements; D006047:Gold Alloys; D012117:Resins, Synthetic; D003776:Dental Porcelain; D003723:Dental Amalgam