Available onlinewww.ijpras.com International Journal of Pharmaceutical Research&Allied Sciences, 2018, 7(2):101-110 Research Article ISSN : 2277-3657 CODEN(USA) : IJPRPM The Hematological Changes in Dental Staff: Their Relation to Mercury Vapor Hiba S. Al-Amodi 1 , Amal Zaghloul 2,3* , Abeer A. ALrefai 1,4 , Heba M. Adly 1 1 Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia 2 Hematology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, UQU, KSA (current position) 3 Clinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shames University, Egypt. 4 Medical Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine-Menoufia University, Egypt *E-mail: amalzaghloul1 @ hotmail.com ABSTRACT Background: Dental staff are exposed to mercury during their work. Aim: To determine the effect of mercury on their hematological parameters. Subjects & Methods: 83 dental staff, 43 use amalgam and 40 not, and 56 healthy persons, 19 have amalgam filling and 37 without it, were enrolled. All were subjected to measurement of mercury in hair, nails and complete blood count. Results: A significant increase of mercury hair and nail was found in the exposed dental staff when compared to both control groups. A significant increase of mercury hair in a non-exposed dental staff was detected when compared to the control group without amalgam. A Significant decrease of hemoglobin and absolute monocytes count was found in both groups of dental staff when compared to the control group without amalgam. 33.3% and 20% of the exposed and non- exposed staff had anemia. Conclusion: Exposed and nonexposed dental staff are liable to complications induced by mercury. Keywords: Mercury vapor, Anemia, Dental staff INTRODUCTION Mercury is considered a major environmental toxicant throughout the world. It is harmless in an insoluble form, but in vapor or soluble forms, it can be extremely toxic to humans. Mercury exists in several forms: elemental, organic and inorganic. The elemental mercury, used in dentistry, has no electrical charge (Hg0), inorganic mercury has a positive charge of +1 or +2 (Hg 1+, Hg 2+) and organic mercury is a complex form of mercury with carbon-containing compounds. Elemental mercury is a large component (approximately 50%) of dental amalgam. The manipulation of in situ amalgam results in a short-term mercury vapor exposure to dentists and other dental workers and the inhaling of mercury vapor occurs [1]. Elemental mercury vapor can be inhaled into the lungs, where it moves into the bloodstream and is transported through the body. In plasma, mercury remains in its elemental form (Hg0) and can cross into the brain and into the fetus of a pregnant woman. In red blood cells, elemental mercury is readily metabolized to inorganic mercury (Hg2+), which tends to accumulate in the kidneys and damage sensitive tissues in that organ [2,3]. It was reported that mercury, competing for ligands in the biological systems, can largely change the metabolism and function of the essential trace elements such as copper, zinc, iron, manganese, selenium, and calcium [4]. In addition, the hematopoietic and immune systems are vulnerable to mercury, which could lead to anemia and suppression of humoral and cell-mediated immune responses in male rats [5]. Many studies have demonstrated that the dental workers have higher levels of mercury in their tissues and organs than the members of the control groups [6-8]. Few studies have been done to deal with the effect of mercury on the hematological parameters in dental staff. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of mercury vapor on the hematological parameters in dental staff.