An important aspect of the NIDR Amalgam Study of Air Force Veterans is an examination of oral soft tissue lesions which may be associated with amalgam restorations. Previous investigators have reported associations of amalgam tattoo and some lichenoid lesions with dental amalgam restorations. This project reports on the distributions and characteristics of soft tissue lesions found in a military population and examines the relationship of these lesions to restorative materials found in this study population. Oral examinations were performed on 1166 male veterans to obtain data on pigmented and white lesions. Additional information gathered included a description of the surface morphology and color of the lesions as well as the anatomical location of the lesions in the oral cavity. A complete inventory to existing dental restorations including identification of dental restorative material was also performed. The mean age of these veterans was 52.9 years. Overall, 5.2% of the participants were edentulous. Preliminary analysis indicates that 149 individuals (12.8%) had at least one soft tissue lesion.
