Patch Test Reactions to Dental Materials: A Retrospective Single-Centre Study.
Reading patch tests on day 6/7, not just day 3, improved detection of dental allergy.
Patch Test Reactions to Dental Materials: A Retrospective Single-Centre Study.
Patch testing is used when delayed-type hypersensitivity to dental materials is suspected, but no European baseline series exists for patients with suspected allergy to dental materials.
To describe patch test positivity to a 24-allergen dental series, assess the added yield of late readings at D6/7 and characterise methacrylate reactivity patterns.
In this retrospective single-centre study, 439 adults referred between 2016 and 2025 for suspected allergy to dental materials were patch tested with an institutional 24-allergen dental series comprising 11 metals, 8 methacrylates and 5 other substances.
late readings raised allergy detection by about a quarter versus day 3 alone
Overall, 50.1% of patients had at least one positive reaction, and 41.0% had a positive metal reaction.
Nickel (23.0%) and palladium (16.6%) were the most frequent allergens.
Amongst methacrylates, HEMA (3.6%), HPMA (3.0%) and EGDMA (2.5%) were most frequent.
Amongst methacrylate-positive patients, 44.4% had two or more positive reactions, 40.7% were HEMA-negative and 14.8% were HEMA-negative but HPMA-positive.
Late readings improved detection, and methacrylate reactivity was not fully captured by HEMA alone.