Dental amalgam restorative material is a mixture composed mainly of silver, tin and copper which is mixed with mercury for use in by your dentist when he repairs your teeth. Since it includes a very pure form of mercury, it is essential that the material not corrode once it’s placed in your mouth. The new ISO/TS 17988 provides a series of test methods meant to be used on a sample of mixed product to determine the resistance to various types of corrosion. This is the first edition of the document, titled “Dentistry – Corrosion test methods for dental amalgam.” It is intended to be used with ISO 24234, “Dentistry – Mercury and Alloys for Dental Amalgam.”
There are 3 basic types of tests included in this new technical specification. They are:
- Resistance to corrosion by the immersion procedure,
- Corrosion by the potentiostatic procedure, and
- Resistance to corrosion by the Hertzian-loading strength-reduction procedure.
For each laboratory test, details of the equipment needed, preparation of the test piece, reagents, test procedure, and analysis and reporting of the results are included as appropriate. These tests are intended to show long term potential for corrosion by producing a measurable effect in a short period of time.
Please note: The tests are not intended to be used for any biocompatibility claims. And they should not be used for dental metallic materials that are covered by ISO 22674, “Dentistry – Metallic Materials for Fixed and Removable Restorations and Appliances.”
Your 29-page specification also includes a bibliography with 5 citations for further review.
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