title: Mercury concentration in maternal serum, cord blood, and placenta in patients with amalgam dental fillings: effects on fetal biometric measurements.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to determine the extent to which mercury is transmitted from the mother to fetus via the umbilical cord in patients with amalgam dental fillings, and its effect on fetal biometric measurements.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-eight patients as the study group with amalgam fillings, and 32 of them as the control group were included in this prospective case-control study. The mercury levels were measured in the maternal and cord venous sera, and the placental samples. Two groups were compared in terms of these and the fetal/neonatal biometric measurements.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the study group, the maternal and umbilical cord mercury levels were found to be significantly higher than those from the control group (p = 0.006 and p = 0.010, respectively). These high levels did not affect the fetal biometric measurements.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The presence of high serum mercury levels in pregnant women with amalgam fillings is important, and warrants further long-term studies in order to investigate the fetal neurological effects as well.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Care Training and Research Hospital , Ankara , Turkey .
authors.forename: Rahime
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bedir Findik
authors.affiliation: b Department of Biochemistry , Turgut Ozal University , Ankara , Turkey , and.
authors.forename: Huseyin Tugrul
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Celik
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Care Training and Research Hospital , Ankara , Turkey .
authors.forename: Ali Ozgur
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Ersoy
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Care Training and Research Hospital , Ankara , Turkey .
authors.forename: Yasemin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tasci
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Care Training and Research Hospital , Ankara , Turkey .
authors.forename: Ozlem
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Moraloglu
authors.affiliation: c Department of Biostatistics , Hacettepe University , Ankara , Turkey.
authors.forename: Jale
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Karakaya
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001827:Body Height / Q000187:drug effects; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002508:Cephalometry; D003723:Dental Amalgam / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D020567:Fetal Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D006257:Head / Q000196:embryology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D008628:Mercury / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D010920:Placenta / Q000737:chemistry*; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood*; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D003723:Dental Amalgam; D008628:Mercury
keywords: Dental amalgam; maternal–fetal exchange; mercury; pregnancy outcome