Biodegradation of nickel and chromium from space maintainers: An in vitro study

Abstract

Band materials are often used in the practice of pediatric dentistry. Nickel and Chromium are the main ingredients of these materials. The potential health hazards of nickel and chromium and their compounds have been the focus of attention for more than 100 years. It has established that these metals could cause hypersensitivity. The study was undertaken to analyze in vitro biodegradation of space maintainers made out of stainless steel band materials from manufacturers Dentaurum and Unitek. The leaching effect simulating the use of one, two, three, and four space maintainers in clinical practice was studied by keeping the respective number of space maintainers in the artificial saliva incubating at 37 degrees C and analyzing for nickel and chromium release after 1,7,14,21 and 28 days using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Results showed that there was measurable release of both nickel and chromium which reached maximum level at the end of 7 days which was statistically significant (P < 0.05) and was very much below the dietary average intake even for four bands used and was not capable of causing any toxicity.

Ion release from metal-ceramic alloys in three different media

“…The amount of Ni necessary to induce allergy after a single exposure has been calculated to be 0.6-2.5 mg 4) . In the present study, quantities of Ni released from Ni-based alloy W99 in the three different immersion media (Table 5) were markedly below the average dietary intake of 200-300 µg/day 26) . Chromium is an essential nutrient of man in amounts of 50-200 mg/day in glucose metabolism.…”

“…In the present study, AAS was used to analyze ion release. Unlike calirometric analysis and ultraviolet spectrophotometry, AAS can accurately and rapidly measure ion concentrations to levels below 1 ppm 26) . For a complete picture of the corrosion behavior of the four selected commercial dental alloys, a two-pronged strategy was used in this study: AAS determination of ion release at different pH values (Figs.…”

“…Chromium is an essential nutrient of man in amounts of 50-200 mg/day in glucose metabolism. The average dietary intake of Cr is 280 µg/day 26) . However, chromate salts -which result from the corrosion of base metal alloys-could cause skin sensitivity and dermatitis.…”

“…Incidence of Cr allergy was reported to be 10% in males and 3% in females. The estimated lethal dose for Cr in humans is about 50-70 mg/kg body weight 26) . In the present study, quantities of Cr released from WBC and W99 (Table 5) were also markedly below the average dietary intake of 280 µg/day 26) .…”

“…Both nickel and chromium could cause hypersensitivity. Thus, the potential health hazards of these metals and their compounds have been the focus of attention for more than 100 years 26) . According to Barrett et al 27) , the average dietary intake of Ni is 200-300 µg/day.…”