A group of 20 patients indicated for the replacement of impaired amalgam fillings were involved in this model study. In one session the two-surface amalgam filling to be repaired was removed and a new filling either from amalgam (Ana 2000) or from composite resin (Charisma) was inserted. Samples of saliva and urine were taken before and after treatment, and then 3, 24, 48, 96 hrs and one and two weeks after treatment. Mercury in saliva and urine was analyzed by the cold vapor mass absorption spectrophotometry. Mercury levels in saliva rose during the treatment by roughly five logs (irrespective of the filling material used) while urine mercury rose in the range of one log only. Significantly higher mercury levels in saliva were found when amalgam was used for filling. Three hrs after the treatment mercury levels in saliva dropped by about one log and remained significantly higher when amalgam was used for filling. In this time interval mercury levels in urine rose by about one log and were significantly higher after the insertion of amalgam filling when compared with composite. 24 hrs later the mercury levels in saliva and urine were still elevated by about one log without significant differences among filling materials used. After 48 and 96 hrs the mercury levels in saliva reached those found before treatment procedure. In urine however the mercury levels were still elevated, significantly more when amalgam was used for filling. One and two weeks after the treatment the mercury in saliva and urine returned well to the pretreatment levels irrespective of the amalgam or composite were used for filling.

        Key words: amalgam filling – filling removal – composite filling – mercury – mercury in saliva – mercury in urine