A multidisciplinary clinical study of patients suffering from illness associated with release of mercury from dental restorations: Medical and odontological aspects

Abstract

Objective - To describe medical and odontological aspects of patients who believed their illness was caused by mercury in dental fillings. Design - Comparison of self-reported and assessed medical and odontological variables. Setting - The School of Dentistry, Karolinska Institute. Subjects - Sixty-seven patients, referred for suspected side-effects of mercury in dental fillings, and 64 matched controls. Main outcome measures - Incidence of medical and odontological diagnoses, own perception of health, and incidence of self-reported symptoms. Results - Three quarters of the patients were women. The mean age was 49 years. Thirty-seven patients (55%) and 47 controls (73%) (NS) showed no sign of somatic disease. Half of the patients felt ill or very ill at the time of the examination. Patients reported twice as many symptoms as the controls during a 3-month period. Patients reported a higher prevalence of very low resting saliva secretion rate, and a higher number of decayed tooth surfaces and of instances of temporomandibular joint dysfunction. Conclusion - Patients' feelings of ill-health were more likely related to psychiatric than somatic diagnoses. This study underlines the importance of making an overall diagnosis, including both mental and somatic disorders, especially in unclear cases and in self-diagnosed illnesses.