Abstract
Mercury pollution of the environment and its negative impacts on the
health of humans had been recognized many years ago by the world
community; and the contribution of dental amalgam, which contains about
50% of mercury by weight, to mercury pollution is well established.
Ten percent (10%) of 300 - 400 metric tons of world’s consumption of
mercury is by dental profession in the form of dental amalgam fillings.
The Minamata Treaty or Convention, on control and reduction of mercury
pollution, provides for amalgam phase-down over a given time-line
as part of the process of total elimination of mercury use in
restorative dentistry. The amalgam phase-down approach is based on the
fact that
outright ban on the use of dental amalgam by nations of the world may be
impossible because of individual nation’s peculiarities. Therefore, the
purpose of this article is to review mercury pollution of the
environment and discuss the challenges as well as developing a National
Strategic
Plan (NSP) in managing amalgam phase-down process.
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