{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]],"date-time":"2026-04-29T12:31:31Z","timestamp":1777465891703,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Cambridge University Press (CUP)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2001,4,9]],"date-time":"2001-04-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":986774400000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":67,"URL":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/terms"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Psychol. Med."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2001,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:p><jats:bold>Background.<\/jats:bold> Possible adverse health effects due to mercury released by amalgam fillings have been \ndiscussed in several studies of patients who attribute various symptoms to the effects of amalgam \nfillings. No systematic relation of specific symptoms to increased mercury levels could be established \nin any of these studies. Thus, a psychosomatic aetiology of the complaints should be considered and \npsychological factors contributing to their aetiology should be identified.<\/jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Methods.<\/jats:bold> A screening questionnaire was used to identify subjects who were convinced that their \nhealth had already been affected seriously by their amalgam fillings (<jats:italic>N<\/jats:italic> = 40). These amalgam \nsensitive subjects were compared to amalgam non-sensitive subjects (<jats:italic>N<\/jats:italic> = 43). All participants were \nsubjected to dental, general health, toxicological and psychological examinations.<\/jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Results.<\/jats:bold> The two groups did not differ with respect to the number of amalgam fillings, amalgam \nsurfaces or mercury levels assessed in blood, urine or saliva. However, amalgam sensitive subjects \nhad significantly higher symptom scores both in a screening instrument for medically unexplained \nsomatic symptoms (SOMS) and in the SCL-90-R Somatization scale. Additionally, more subjects \nfrom this group (50% <jats:italic>versus<\/jats:italic> 4\u00b77%) had severe somatization syndromes. With respect to \npsychological risk factors, amalgam sensitive subjects had a self-concept of being weak and unable \nto tolerate stress, more cognitions of environmental threat, and increased habitual anxiety. These \npsychological factors were significantly correlated with the number and intensity of the reported \nsomatic symptoms.<\/jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Conclusions.<\/jats:bold> While our results do not support an organic explanation of the reported symptoms, \nthey are well in accord with the notion of a psychological aetiology of the reported symptoms and \ncomplaints. The findings suggest that self-diagnosed \u2018amalgam illness\u2019 is a label for a general \ntendency toward somatization.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1017\/s0033291701003233","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2002,7,27]],"date-time":"2002-07-27T13:33:33Z","timestamp":1027776813000},"page":"255-263","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":40,"title":["Adverse health effects related to mercury exposure from dental amalgam fillings: toxicological or psychological causes?"],"prefix":"10.1017","volume":"31","author":[{"given":"J.","family":"BAILER","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"F.","family":"RIST","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"A.","family":"RUDOLF","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"H. J.","family":"STAEHLE","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"P.","family":"EICKHOLZ","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"G.","family":"TRIEBIG","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"M.","family":"BADER","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"U.","family":"PFEIFER","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"56","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2001,4,9]]},"container-title":["Psychological Medicine"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/services\/aop-cambridge-core\/content\/view\/S0033291701003233","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2019,4,3]],"date-time":"2019-04-03T19:13:35Z","timestamp":1554318815000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/product\/identifier\/S0033291701003233\/type\/journal_article"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2001,2]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2001,2]]}},"alternative-id":["S0033291701003233"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/s0033291701003233","relation":{},"ISSN":["0033-2917","1469-8978"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0033-2917","type":"print"},{"value":"1469-8978","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2001,2]]}}}