A study of oxidation of dental amalgams with age

A quantitative test for corrosion due to oxidation has been accomplished. The oxygen concentration of dental amalgams was measured by fast neutron activation which provides a means of detecting oxygen in as small a quantity as 10 to 20 micrograms. An increase in oxygen content with age of spherical blend amalgam implants was observed, comfirming the importance of oxidation processes in in vivo corrosion.