ABSTRACT
Objectives: The biocompatibility of dental casting alloys is a critical issue because
these alloys are in long-term intimate contact with oral tissues. Since the biocompatibility
of alloys is not completely known; the release of elements from the alloys has been
studied. The aim of this study was to compare the elemental release from dental casting
alloy during exposure to artificial saliva and cell-culture medium.
Materials and Methods: Twenty specimens made from Ni-Cr alloy were provided in the
form of 5 mm diameter discs, 2 mm in thickness with a 7 mm stem attached to one face
to facilitate handling. Ten of twenty samples were polished separately using a conventional
technique. The remaining ten samples were left sandblasted with 50 μm Al203. Ten samples
(5 polished, 5 sandblasted) were separately placed into cell-culture wells with Dulbecco’s
Modified Eagle’s Medium. The other ten samples were placed separately into cell-culture
wells with artificial saliva. The samples were subjected in contact with these medium
for 30 days. These medium were collected every 7 days. The cell-culture medium and
artificial saliva without alloy samples were subjected to elemental analyses as a
control. At the end of the exposure time, Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) was
used to determine the release of elements from the alloys into all collected medium.
Statistical analyses were assessed with two-way ANOVA
Results: In general, the elemental release occurred with in all medium. The elemental
releases of sandblasted alloys were higher than polished alloys. Artificial saliva
was found to cause more release from the samples. In both media, Ni released from
polished and sandblasted alloys were higher than Cr and Mo.
The results suggest that the release of elements from the alloys might have correlated
with the environments and the surface of dental alloy. (Eur J Dent 2007;2:86-90)
Key words
Dental alloy - Ni-Cr alloy - Elemental release - Biocompatibility - Cell-culture medium
- Artificial saliva
