The Assessment of Mercury Released from Dental Amalgams after Exposure to Wi-Fi and X-Ray Radiation in Artificial Saliva

Abstract

Mercury is a well-known toxic element that is found in various forms in nature. Recently,
dental amalgams have been recognized as a new source of mercury. This study was
carried out under in vitro condition; the amount of mercury released from teeth
restored with amalgams in the presence of Wi-Fi router radiation (non-ionizing
radiation) and X-ray (ionizing radiation) using a protocol similar to Computed
Tomography of Para-nasal Sinuses (CT) were analyzed separately, and in combination
on the samples. For this reason, 50 human premolars were restored with a certain type
of commercial amalgams. The samples were divided into five groups; control, only-CT,
CT+Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi+CT and only-Wi-Fi groups, and mercury measurement were
investigated at 24 and 48 hours after exposure to radiation by cold-vapor atomic
absorption system. The results showed a significant difference between subgroups 24
and 48 h (p-values = 0.001 and 0.008). However, over time a significant difference was
only found in CT+Wi-Fi group (p-value = 0.043). In addition, in comparison with the
control group, only the subgroup that was exposed to Wi-Fi waves showed a significant
difference after 24 hours (p = 0.033). In line with some of the previous studies, our
findings showed that electromagnetic waves are involved in mercury release process,
and warnings about the consequences of electromagnetic waves on mercury release
and subtitling it with a new compound in restorative dentistry should be taken into
consideration.