A study was made of 114 adults of whom 85 had from 1 to 28 amalgam dental fillings. The average number of fillings was ten. None of the 114 subjects was under active dental treatment. One was using a mercurial diuretic. Only six persons in this group showed detectable mercury in the urine. No evidence was found that amalgam fillings which are more than a few weeks old contribute appreciably to urinary mercury. Of 24 persons in the process of having teeth filled, five showed mercury in the urine before and after treatment. The possibility of mercury appearing in the urine of persons undergoing fillings as a result of sources other than amalgam was demonstrated. Dental amalgams do not appear to be an important source of mercury absorption and excretion.
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Hoover et al. (1966) studied this question.