Determining the Tumorigenicity of Dental Materials

¹ Indiana University School of Dentistry, Indianapolis, Indiana

One hundred and twenty young adult Wistar rats were divided equally by sex into twelve groups. Four subdermal implants of small pellets of twelve materials were placed in each animal and observed for up to 27 months. Five of ten animals developed a sarcoma around a nickel pellet, and nine of ten animals developed one or more sarcomas around pellets of a nickel-gallium alloy. No tumors occurred around fused porcelain, a silicate cement, an autopolymerizing resin, a denture resin, zinc oxide and eugenol, calcium hydroxide and methyl cellulose, silver wire, silver amalgam, vitallium, and copper. The validity of the results obtained in the copper group may be questioned, but it appears that this is a satisfactory method for study of the relative tumorigenicity of many dental materials prepared in various physical forms.