Amalgam 부식산물의 정성분석에 관한 연구

A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE IN VIVO AMALGAM CORROSION PRODUCTS

The purpose of this study was to analyze the in vivo amalgam corrosion products qualitatively. 30 molars with large, intact amalgam restorations were selected. All the restorations were more than 5 years old. Twenty of the removed amalgams were embedded in acrylic resin block. The exposed surfaces of fifteen embedded amalgams were polished by amalgam polishing kit, and the rest were observed without polishing. The remaining 10 amalgams were fractured centrally and perpendiculary to the occlusal surface with a wire-cutter. After all specimens were cleaned ultrasonically in distilled water, each surface was examined under S.E.M. and E.D.A.X. (Energy Dispersive Micro X-ray Analyzer) to determine the morphology and chemical nature of the corrosion products. The following results were obtained: 1. The surfaces of the unpolished amalgam restorations were covered with thin amorphous layer of Sn-Ca-P-S complex with numerous cracks. 2. In the conventional amalgams, the major corrosion products were Sn-Cl phases however, tin oxide phases were also observed. 3. Only tin oxide phase was identified in the high copper amalgam, but it was less frequently observed than in the conventional amalgam. 4. It was easier to observe the corrosion product morphology in the fractured surfaces than in the polished ones. The morphologies of the corrosion product crystals looked like a stack of slightly bended plates in the Sn-Cl phases and polyhedra or polygonal prisms in the tin oxide phases.