Online Resource — Mercury and dental amalgam
Dental amalgam is a commonly used dental restorative material for dental fillings that was first used in Europe during the early 1800s and continues in use today. Its attractiveness stems from its low cost, east of application, strength and durability. Dental amalgam is a mixture of mercury with at least one other metal. However, there are increasing concerns about mercury pollution arising from its use in dentistry.
A substantial amount of the mercury used in dental fillings is discharged into the air due to cremation. One study estimated that mercury losses to water via human faeces amount to about one-third of that of air. The same study estimated that around twenty percent of the mercury used in dental amalgam is lost within a ten year period. It is estimated that the losses to water via dental practices would, without intervention, be higher.
The Australian Dental Industry Association (ADIA) is working with the Australian Government to support a the development of a United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) framework for the use of mercury. To assist interested individuals, the following are some of the key documents that have been relied upon to formulate a policy paper:
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NHMRC Report — Dental amalgam and mercury in dentistry [PDF]
Synopsis: Dental amalgam is generally useful as a direct restorative material and that there is no
convincing evidence of adverse health effects at these levels, with the exception of some rare
cases of contact hypersensitivity. |
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WHO Policy Paper — Mercury in health care [PDF]
Syopsis: To understand better the problem of mercury in the health care sector, it is recommended
that countries conduct assessments of current mercury usage and waste management programs. |
As the national body representing the manufacturers and importers of dental amalgam, ADIA is working with the Australian Government to identify the quantity of dental amalgam used in Australia, its countries of origin and the take-up of dental recycling technology amongst dental practices.
The recycling technology is generally in the form of amalgam separators that are installed in dental surgeries and are effective in reducing over 95% of the amalgam from dental practice wastewater. Once separated, the mercury can be recovered by dedicated recycling firms.
Given that ADIA believes the question of whether or not amalgam should be used in the future is an oral healthcare issue thus quite properly in the domain of the Australian Dental Association (ADA), ADIA has provided a brief to the ADA on this matter.
ADIA's reponse is being coordinated by the ADIA-DRC Dental Regulation Committee and if you have any questions please send an email to dental.regulation@adia.org.au or telephone 1300 943 094 (internationally on +61 2 9319 5631.