Resumo

SILVA, Ivisson Carneiro Medeiros da et al. Daily variation of mercury exposure among dental assistants and students in a dental office. Rev. Bras. Odontol. [online]. 2014, vol.71, n.1, pp. 17-21. ISSN 1984-3747.

Mercury is a metal used in odontology for amalgam restorations. This study evaluated the daily levels of exposure to mercury in dental office workers of a social service company. The methodology included observation of the work process, to detect the possibility of exposure to mercury, the application of a self-reported questionnaire about the use of amalgam and assessment of mercury exposure for the determination of Hg in urine samples. Sixty-eight samples were collected with urinary mercury average of 1.39 ± 0.40 μg.Hg/L. The difference of mean urinary mercury concentrations between Groups was 0.02 μg.Hg/L, not having a statistically significant result (p = 0 .174). T he l evels o f m ercury i n a ll s amples w ere below the maximum allowed by law.

Palavras-chave : Mercury; Dentistry; Worker’s health; Urine; Biological monitoring..