title: Mercury content in amalgam tattoos of human oral mucosa and its relation to local tissue reactions.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Forsell
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Larsson
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ljungqvist
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Carlmark
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Johansson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001706:Biopsy; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D003723:Dental Amalgam / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D004577:Electron Probe Microanalysis; D004848:Epithelium / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D005355:Fibrosis; D005453:Fluorescence; D015745:Granuloma, Foreign-Body / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008264:Macrophages / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008628:Mercury / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000098:blood supply / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000294:innervation / Q000473:pathology; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D015588:Observer Variation; D012834:Silver / Q000032:analysis; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013280:Stomatitis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013653:Tattooing
chemical_list: D012834:Silver; D003723:Dental Amalgam; D008628:Mercury