title: Biomonitoring of mercury in patients with complaints attributed to dental amalgam, healthy amalgam bearers, and amalgam-free subjects: a diagnostic study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the suitability of measurements of mercury (Hg) concentration as a means of identifying patients with health complaints attributed to dental amalgam.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hg in erythrocytes, plasma, urine, and saliva was determined in 27 patients complaining about health problems attributed to amalgam, 27 healthy volunteers with amalgam fillings, and 27 healthy amalgam-free volunteers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Concentrations of inorganic mercury in blood and of total mercury in urine and saliva differed significantly between individuals with amalgam fillings and amalgam-free volunteers, but not between symptomatic patients and healthy volunteers with amalgam fillings. Urine Hg levels tended to be better correlated with blood than with saliva data. Levels of organic Hg were equal in all groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Concentrations of total and inorganic mercury in body fluids do not distinguish between asymptomatic amalgam bearers and those who suffer from a poorly defined syndrome of multiple nonspecific symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany. dieter.melchart@lrz.tum.de
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Melchart
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Köhler
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Linde
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zilker
authors.forename: Leo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kremers
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Saller
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Halbach
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D019963:Clinical Chemistry Tests / Q000379:methods; D003723:Dental Amalgam / Q000737:chemistry*; D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008628:Mercury / Q000097:blood* / Q000652:urine*; D008630:Mercury Poisoning / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D018908:Muscle Weakness / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012737:Sex Factors; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic / Q000379:methods; D040921:Stress Disorders, Traumatic / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D003723:Dental Amalgam; D008628:Mercury