[Perceived threat related to dental amalgam fillings]

Amalgam carriers without somatic complaints and patients who attribute symptoms to amalgam fillings of their teeth do not differ with respect to toxicologic or allergologic parameters. Somatic complaints of amalgam carriers usually are explained as misattributions of unspecific complaints. Perceived threat is a relevant factor within the theoretical models. For the explanation of health related behavior perceived threat is also an important variable. In the present study perceived threat was a relevant factor for complaints associated with dental material, but not for health related behavior in the sense of caries prophylaxis.