Corrosion Behavior of Dental Amalgams, in Vitro Tests

Tarnish and Corrosion behavior of three Commercial dental amalgams namely Am.1, Am.2, Am.3, have been investigated by utilizing in vitro tests. The corrosion and/or dissolution rate of the three dental amalgams were studied in 0.9 wt% NaCl Solution, artificial saliva and Ringer's solution. Potentiodynamic polarization technique was employed to study cathodic and anodic polarization behavior, from which the corrosion potentials and corrosion current densities were calculated. The corrosion potential and the corrosion current density of each amalgam was found to be affected by the nature of electrolyte used, as well as the Pre-immersion time. However, the order of corrosion potentials and corrosion current densities of the three dental amalgams examined, was found to be independent of the electrolyte used.