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Journal of Dental Research, Vol. 87, No. 5, 475-479 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/154405910808700502

Clinical

Dental Amalgam and Antibiotic- and/or Mercury-resistant Bacteria

M.C. Roberts1,*, B.G. Leroux2, J. Sampson2, H.S. Luis3, M. Bernardo3 and J. Leitão3

1 1 Box 357234, Departments of, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, and
2 Dental Public Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; and
3 Faculty of Dental Medicine, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

Correspondence: * corresponding author, marilynr{at}u.washington.edu

Mercury emitted from dental amalgam may select for increased numbers of antibiotic- or mercury-resistant commensal bacteria in patients and increase their risk for bacterial diseases that are resistant to common therapies. We hypothesized that the presence of dental amalgams would increase the level of mercury-, tetracycline-, ampicillin-, erythromycin-, or chloramphenicol-resistant oral and urinary bacteria as compared with levels in children receiving composite fillings. Samples were collected at baseline, 3–6 months after the initial dental treatment, and annually for 7 years of follow-up. There were no statistically significant differences between treatment groups in the numbers of bacteria growing on antibiotic- or mercury-supplemented plates. This study provided no evidence that amalgam fillings on posterior teeth influenced the level of antibiotic- or mercury-resistant oral or urinary bacteria as detected by culture.

Key Words: mercury • amalgam • antibiotic-resistant • mercury-resistant


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