Elemental ion release from fixed restorative materials into patient saliva

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Dental Materials
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Dental restorations like crowns are essential for oral health.
• Understanding ion release from dental materials is crucial for patient safety and material longevity.
• Both gold alloy and ceramic crowns are widely used, but their ion release profiles require quantitative investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively assess elemental ion release from gold alloy and ceramic dental crowns into patient saliva.
• To compare ion release between type IV gold crowns and CAD-CAM-fabricated ceramic crowns.
• To evaluate the clinical implications of ion release on marginal integrity and gingival health.

Main Methods:

• Twenty patients were divided into two groups: gold crowns and ceramic crowns.
• Saliva samples were collected and analyzed for elemental release using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).
• Clinical evaluations of marginal integrity and gingival health were performed at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months post-placement.

Main Results:

• Gold crowns released zinc, copper, palladium, gold, and silver.
• Ceramic crowns released silicon and aluminum.
• Significant increases in zinc release from gold crowns and silicon release from ceramic crowns were observed at the 3-month recall.
• No significant adverse effects on marginal integrity or gingival health were noted.

Conclusions:

• Both gold alloy and CAD-CAM ceramic crowns release ions into saliva.
• Increased release of zinc from gold and silicon from ceramic crowns is evident after 3 months of clinical service.
• The observed ion release did not lead to clinically significant adverse effects on marginal integrity or gingival health.