Galvanic interaction between titanium and gallium alloy or dental amalgam

Objectives: The objective was to examine in vitro the galvanic interaction between titanium and a high-copper dental amalgam or a gallium-based direct filling alloy at different area ratios, and to relate the observed interactions to the electrochemical characteristics of the alloys. Methods: The tested materials were cast titanium, a single-composition, spherical high-copper amalgam, and a gallium-based direct filling alloy. Polarization curves were recorded. The galvanic couples were prepared at Ti/filling alloy ratios of 1:1, 2:1, 4:1 and 6:1. The couples were exposed to synthetic saliva at 37°C and the galvanic currents and potentials were measured as a function of time. The results were analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey tests (p≤0.05). Results: Freshly abraded titanium initially was anodic to both the amalgam and the gallium alloy, but the polarity reversed after a period of exposure. The galvanic potential and current density increased with the increasing Ti/alloy area ratio. The potential increase was smaller and the current increase larger for the Ga alloy than for the amalgam. The difference was consistent with the polarization characteristics. The galvanic current density was of the order of 10−8 A/cm2 for the Ti/amalgam couple, and 10−7 to 10−6 A/cm2 for the Ti/gallium alloy couple. Significance: The results show that the galvanic interaction between titanium and direct filling alloys is small. High copper dental amalgams should suffer little galvanic corrosion when in contact with Ti. For gallium direct filling alloys, the galvanic interaction may be more detrimental because of the inherently lower corrosion resistance.