Amalgam sensitivity and psychological impairment

Dental amalgam- and environmental sensitivity was assessed with a 10-item questionnaire in three samples: a general population sample (n = 649), a group of dental patients (n = 156) and a group of psychotherapy patients (n = 40). Twenty-two to 30 % of the subjects in the three samples attributed health complaints to dental amalgam fillings. These amalgam sensitive subjects had not significantly more amalgam fillings and surfaces than amalgam non-sensitive controls. But strong associations were found between amalgam sensitivity and both a higher risk for general environmental sensitivity and psychological impairments especially on the subscales somatization, depression, anxiety, anger-hostility and phobic anxiety of the symptom check list (SCL-90-R). On the other hand, subjects with diverse mental. disorders (psychotherapy patients) had no higher risk for amalgam sensitivity. The results are discussed in relation to a cognitive-behavioral model of environment related somatization.