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A case of foreign-body reaction to amalgam tattoo in edentulous gingiva is described. Asteroid bodies were found inside giant cells of the reactive tissue. The similarities of these bodies to those seen in other diseases are discussed.

The accidental implantation of amalgam into the gingival and even the buccal mucosa is a condition well recognized clinically by dentists, but it may be unfamiliar to dermatologists. Recently we have had occasion to perform biopsies on such lesions, and we were impressed by the histopathologic changes. Search of both the medical and the dental literature failed to reveal a description of the characteristic histopathology, and, therefore, this report is submitted. Silver amalgam is a dental filling material employed throughout the world for the restoration of carious teeth. It is composed of approximately 65% silver, alloyed with 25% tin, 6% copper, and 2% zinc. Bars of this alloy are reduced to a fine powder, washed in dilute hydrochloric acid, and packaged for the use of the practitioner. The dentist mixes this material with mercury, and, while the mixture is in the soft state, he introduces it into the prepared dental

The oral amalgam tattoo is an easily recognizable entity that usually does not require histologic verification, if the investigator is aware of the lesion and its pathogenesis. Seventy-two cases of amalgam tattoo are reviewed.