GALLIUM ALLOY RESTORATIONS IN PRIMARY TEETH - A 12-MONTH STUDY

The authors placed 60 Class I and Class V restorations in the primary molars of children aged 4 to 10 years using a gallium alloy. Within on e year after placement, the surfaces of all the restorations had deter iorated significantly due to corrosion, and the authors found remarkab le amounts of corrosion products on restorations retrieved after tooth extraction or loss. The marginal integrity of many of the Class I res torations deteriorated slightly during the study; the Class V restorat ions showed no marginal breakdown. No other problems were detected aft er one year. These data indicate that the gallium alloy tested had ins ufficient resistance to corrosion to serve as a permanent restorative material. However, the authors suggest consideration of this alloy for use in primary teeth to reduce the exposure of children and dental pr ofessionals to mercury-containing amalgam.