Mercury levels among dental personnel in Israel: a preliminary study

Amalgam, the most prevalent dental restoration material used in dentistry, is potentially toxic because it contains mercury. Recent international publications confirm that mercury is potentially hazardous to dental personnel, who are exposed to mercury vapors both during their work at the office and from amalgam restorations in their own oral cavities. The purpose of our study was to compare urinary mercury levels of dental personnel with a control group, and to explore possible correlations between environmental factors in the dental office and the urinary level of the personnel. Our results indicate that the urinary mercury levels of the tested dental professionals were significantly higher than those of the control group (2.39 +/- 0.319 vs. 0.899 +/- 0.34 micrograms mercury/g creatinine). Of the dental personnel examined, 72% had detectable levels of urinary mercury, compared to 27% of the control group. Although mercury levels in all participants did not exceed the toxic limit, the above findings clearly point to the need for a continuation of this survey.