Oral electrochemical action after soft drink rinsing and consumption of sweets

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of pH changes in dental plaque and saliva on the magnitude of the galvanic current created when amalgam restorations make contact in the oral cavity. Ten persons with 46 contacts between amalgam fillings in all participated in the experiments. Potential, polarization, and pH measurements were performed before and after Coca-Cola and orange juice rinsing and intake of sweets, which were used as test products. Distilled water was used as a control. The measurements were performed 2, 5, 10, 20, and 30 min after the rinsing or intake. There was no statistically significant difference in the current magnitude after any test product or between the time intervals after the different products. The results indicated that changes of the plaque and saliva pH for a short time after food and soft drink intake do not influence the magnitude of the galvanic current flowing between amalgam restorations in contact.