Questionnaire studies have indicated that patients with dental gold will more frequently have contact allergy to gold. This study aimed at investigating the relationship between contact allergy to gold and the presence and amount of dental gold alloys. A total of 102 patients were referred for patch testing because of suspicion of contact allergy. Patch tests were performed with gold sodium thiosulphate 2% and 5%. The patients underwent an oral clinical and radiological examination. Contact allergy to gold was recorded in 30.4% of the patients, and of these 74.2% had dental gold (p=0.009). A significant correlation was found between the amount of gold surfaces and contact allergy to gold (p=0.008), but there was no statistical relationship to oral lesions. It is concluded that there is a positive relationship between contact allergy to gold and presence and amount of dental gold alloys.

The study shows a high accuracy for an overall diagnosis of BCC and increased accuracy in prediction of sBCC for the period when dermoscopy was applied in all cases. The most discriminating findings for sBCC, based on clinical and dermoscopic features in this fair-skinned population, were a flat surface and multiple small erosions.

Previous studies have demonstrated an association between gold allergy and the presence of dental gold restorations. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between the concentration of gold in blood (B-Au) and the number of tooth surfaces with gold alloys in subjects with and without contact allergy to gold. In 80 patients referred for patch testing because of eczematous disease, blood samples were taken and analyzed for B-Au using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The detection limit for the Au determination was 0.04 microg/L. In addition, a dentist made a clinical and radiological examination of the patients and registered the number of dental gold surfaces. Patients with dental gold restorations had a statistically significantly higher B-Au in Mann-Whitney U test (P = 0.025), (range < 0.04-1.07 microg/L) than patients without (range < 0.04-0.15 microg/L). Furthermore, a positive correlation was found between B-Au and the number of dental gold surfaces (P < 0.01). There was no statistically significant difference in B-Au between persons with and without contact allergy to gold. The study thus indicates that gold is released from dental restorations and taken tip into the circulation.