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Characterization of health complaints before and after removal of amalgam fillings — 3-year follow-up

Abstract Objective. Some patients attribute health complaints to amalgam fillings and report improvement of health after replacement of amalgam fillings. The aim of the present study was to characterize the changes of different health complaints after replacement of amalgam fillings and compare with an external reference group from the general population. Materials and methods. The study group included 20 patients with health complaints attributed to amalgam fillings who were participants in the treatment group of a clinical trial at the Norwegian Dental Biomaterials Adverse Reaction Unit. The patients were asked to indicate the intensity of local and general health complaints on numeric rating scales (0–10) before removal of amalgam fillings and at follow-up 3 years after removal. Data from the patient group were compared with data from an external reference group (n = 441). Results. Before treatment the mean intensity of complaints were on a higher level in the treatment group compared to the reference group. The most frequently reported complaints in the treatment group were gastrointestinal symptoms, fatigue, pain from muscles and joints, symptoms from ear/nose/throat and difficulty concentrating. From pre-treatment examination to the 3-year follow-up 20 of 23 health complaints decreased, being statistically significant for taste disturbances, pain from muscles and joints, gastrointestinal complaints, complaints from ear/nose/throat and fatigue. Conclusions. The inter-individual variation of intensities of health complaints was considerable and the reduction of health complaints varied for the different complaints. Several factors may be of importance for the observed reduction of complaint intensity.