Corrosion of galvanic pairs of dental alloys copper base with silver amalgams in artificial saliva

Abstract

Galvanic corrosion is a metal dissolution process that occurs when two metals of different electrochemical potential are immersed in an electrolyte causing electrical currents between the metals through the conducting medium. To restore lost or damaged teeth, different alloys are used, leaving the mouth exposed to electrical currents that circulate through saliva and dental fluids. In the present work, the potentials and densities of corrosion currents of galvanic pairs of silver amalgams and copper base dental alloys were determined simultaneously using potenciodynamic methods, finding that the most resistant to corrosion are the pairs formed by silver amalgams of high copper and Cu - Zn alloys, and that the corrosion products released in greater quantity in the electrolytic medium are formed by Hg, Cu, Zn and Ni ions.