Substitute Materials for Ag-Pd-Au Alloy in the Health Insurance System in Japan

Today, in dental treatment based on the Japanese Social Insurance System, dental casting gold-silverpalladium alloys (including gold at 12% or more, including palladium at 20% or more, and including silver at 40% or more) are mainly used for crown-bridges, inlays, and retainers of removal partial dentures in Japan. However, according to the sudden rise in the price of palladium during the last two years, the relation between the treatment fee and the cost has lost the previous balance. This report was written based on this situation and some investigations. As the results, we concluded that it would be difficult to discover a new substitute for present gold-silver-palladium alloys, and that fact should be recognized as a good opportunity to look for a better material.