Why is nickel included in the “pure” titanium implant panel?
A Swiss study in 1999 and subsequent studies have shown that titanium can often get contaminated with nickel during the manufacturing of implants. For extremely sensitive individuals, that is enough to trigger an allergic reaction. The FDA only requires listing of metals in the specifications available to physicians/dentists if the content is 2% of the weight or more. So, some implants are “pure” because they are less than 2% nickel. Again, for sensitive individuals, even a 1% nickel content can be enough to trigger an allergic reaction, and that is why nickel is tested with the titanium panel.
