Palladium in dental alloys – the dermatologists’responsibility to warn?

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Abstract
Palladium is increasingly used in industry, but also in fine jewellery and in dentistry. Thus, palladium‐silver alloys comprise a substantial part of the noble metal ceramic alloy sales in Western countries. The increased use of this metal seems, however, to be paralleled by a rise in the number of reports of palladium allergy. Recently a European study reported a sensitization rate of 2.8%. In Austria, where palladium has started to displace amalgam in dental fillings because of concerns about mercury toxicity, and gold due to price factors, we have found a sensitization rate of 8.3% in unselected eczema patíents. Despíte the current lack of clear clinical relevance of this finding, these numbers should motivate us to question this substance as “the alloy of the future”.