Adverse reactions of oral mucosa to nickel-based dental casting alloys are probably due to corrosion metal ion release. We exposed H400 oral keratinocytes to two Ni-based dental alloys (Matchmate and Dsign10) as well as NiCl( 2) (1-40 microg/mL Ni(2+)). Alloy derived Ni(2+) media concentrations were determined. Direct culture on both alloys resulted in inhibited growth with a greater effect observed for Dsign10 (higher ion release). Indirect exposure of cells to conditioned media from Dsign10 negatively affected cell numbers (approximately 64% of control by 6 days) and morphology while Matchmate-derived media did not. Exposure to increasing NiCl(2) negatively affected cell growth and morphology, and the Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) transcript was significantly up-regulated in cells following direct and indirect exposure to Dsign10. NiCl(2) exposure up-regulated all cytokine transcripts at 1 day. At day 6, IL-1beta and IL-8 transcripts were suppressed while GM-CSF and IL-11 increased with Ni(2+) dose. Accumulation of Ni(2+) ions from alloys in oral tissues may affect keratinocyte viability and chronic inflammation.