Corrosion of galvanic pairs of dental alloys copper base with silver amalgams in artificial saliva

Galvanic corrosion is a metal dissolution process that occurs when two metals of different electrochemicalpotential are immersed in an electrolyte causing electrical currents between the metals through the conductingmedium. To restore lost or damaged teeth, different alloys are used, leaving the mouth exposed to electricalcurrents that circulate through saliva and dental fluids. In the present work, the potentials and densitiesof corrosion currents of galvanic pairs of silver amalgams and copper base dental alloys were determinedsimultaneously using potenciodynamic methods, finding that the most resistant to corrosion are the pairsformed by silver amalgams of high copper and Cu - Zn alloys, and that the corrosion products released ingreater quantity in the electrolytic medium are formed by Hg, Cu, Zn and Ni ions.Keywords. Corrosion, dental alloy, polarization curve, artificial saliva, galvanic pair