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Heavy Metal Index

Nickel sensitization in adolescents and association with ear piercing, use of dental braces and hand eczema

The Odense Adolescence Cohort Study patch tested schoolchildren aged 12 to 16 years.

The Odense Adolescence Cohort Study patch tested schoolchildren aged 12 to 16 years. Nickel allergy was found in 8.6 percent and was clinically relevant in 69.4 percent of those cases (68 of 98). Girls and boys are reported separately. The TRUE Test dose is printed as 200 mg/cm2 and is not converted.

Key numbers

Dose as printedTotalGirlsBoys
200 mg/cm28.6% (98/1,146)13.7% (85/620)2.5% (13/526)
10 mg/cm22.8% (32/1,146)5.0% (31/620)0.2% (1/526)
1 mg/cm20.3% (4/1,146)0.6% (4/620)0% (0/526)

Clinical relevance: 69.4 percent (68/98) of nickel-allergic cases. The milligram unit on the dose is flagged for the same reason as other TRUE Test tables that print mg where µg is the usual label. The numbers are not converted.

Methods (brief)

Unselected adolescents in Odense, Denmark. Patch testing with a graded nickel series. Ear piercing and dental braces are exposure history in the paper, not metal assays.

Evidence fitness

The table supports a prevalence statement. It does not support nickel in jewelry as a measured release.

Limitations

Printed dose unit may be a thousand-fold labelling error relative to TRUE Test convention. It is flagged, not corrected.

Update history

No substantive edit history is available in this build. The full commit record is available in git.