Dental Examinations and blood and urine samples were obtained from a sample of 1166 adult Air Force Personnel participating in the AFHS. The exact type of restorative material used in dental fillings was recorded for each affected surface. Amalgam exposure was defined as the total number of surfaces having an amalgam restoration present. Mercury levels in blood and urine were recorded in ug/1. The amalgam exposure for this cohort was determined to be rather high, averaging 20 surfaces on average. The blood and urinary Hg levels were found to be low, averaging 2.9 ug/1 and 3.1 ug/1, respectively. There were 11 participants who had Hg levels greater than 15 ug/1, but these levels could not be ascribed to dental amalgam exposure. There was a clear dose response association detected between amalgam exposure and urinary Hg levels, and a statistically significant, but none meaningful, dose response found between amalgam exposure and inorganic blood Hg levels. No association was detected for total Hg in blood.
