- Abstract -

US National Library of Medicine describes as allergens over 4.000 chemical substances. Some of them can be associated with mutagenic processes. It is estimated that 15-20% of the adult population of Europe presents sensitivity to at least one allergen. Dentistry is one of the professions that presents a high risk in developing reactions to common or specific allergens. The body response to allergens consists in: immediate allergic reactions (rhinitis, asthma, conjunctivitis, generalized eruptions) and tardive allergic reactions (contact dermatitis.) Among the patients, the allergic reactions manifest predominantly at the oral cavity level, being caused more frequently by certain metals which the dental alloys are made of. We used the patch-test on a lot of 30 dentists in order to indentify the main substances responsible for producing immediate and tardive allergic reactions, then on a lot of 30 patients to determine the allergen potential of the typical compounds in dental alloys. Regarding the dentists, the testing offered us the following data: tardive allergic reactions to 2-HEMA (2 hydroxi-ethyl methacrylate)-52%; EGDMA (ethyleneglicol dimethyl methacrylate)-40%; nickel-32%; MMA (methyl methacrylate)-26%; 2-HPMA (2 hydroxi propil methacrylate)-20%; EMA (ethyl methacrylate)-17% and immediate allergic reactions to eugenol-32%; latex-19%, antiseptics-3%. Regarding the lot of patients, on the other side, the patch-testing led us to the following results: sensitivity to gold-5%; palladium-7%; nickel-30%; cobalt-2%. Due to the high percentage of reactions following the patch-testing, the identification of the allergic reactions in patients and practitioners as well, has a major importance for prevention of the possible mutagenic effects of the above-mentioned materials and the possibility of launching specific public health programs according the results obtained.
 

Key words: patch-test, allergic reaction.