Electrochemical behavior of some commercial dental amalgams in artificial saliva

Cathodic, linear anodic, and anodic polarization studies conducted on three commercial dental amalgams, Caulk Fine Cut Alloy, Spheralloy, and Dispersalloy, showed that all amalgams were in a passive state at the corrosion potential in synthetic saliva solution. The corrosion currents at the corrosion potential were therefore small for all the amalgams, in the range 0.08 to 0.30 muA/cm2. However, the Caulk Fine Cut Alloy and Spheralloy amalgams exhibited a breakdown of passivity and high anodic currents at potentials only approximately equal to 100 mV more noble than the corrosion potential whereas Dispersalloy amalgams maintained passivity at potentials up to 700 mV more noble than the corrosion potential. The breakdown of passivity in Caulk Alloy and Spheralloy amalgams is attributed to the presence of the gamma2 phase (Sn7-8Hg) whereas the passive behavior of Dispersalloy amalgam is attributed to the absence of the phase. It is concluded that none of the amalgams will exhibit severe general corrosion in use, but that both Caulk Alloy and Spheralloy amalgams will exhibit pitting corrosion whereas this type of corrosion should be minimal in Dispersalloy amalgams.