Dental Health Imaging, Jobs, Education & Resources

Alexandria, Va., USA – January 23, in Geneva, the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) International Negotiating Committee (INC) completed negotiations on an agreement for a global, legally-binding treaty on mercury. The agreement contains provisions for the reduction of dental amalgam including increased dental research into alternatives.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury – named after the city in Japan where serious health damage occurred after industrial release of mercury into the environment – aims to reduce mercury emissions and releases to the air, water and land. It’s wide-ranging and addresses the supply of and trade in mercury, use of mercury in products and industrial processes, measures to be taken to reduce emissions from artisanal and small-scale gold mining, measures to be taken to reduce emissions from power plants and metals production facilities, storage and treatment of waste containing mercury.

Dental amalgam is a dental restoration that has been used safely and effectively for generations and contains mercury that is predominately bound to metals (silver, zinc, copper and tin). While safe for human health, dental amalgam does contribute a relatively small amount of mercury to the environment, particularly compared to other sources. Regarding the use of mercury in products and processes, UNEP estimates that mercury-added products account for one-third of total global demand for mercury with dental amalgam accounting for roughly one-quarter of those products or roughly eight percent of total demand.

IADR participated and contributed to the negotiations, along with FDI World Dental Federation and the International Dental Manufacturers, and has advocated for a reduction in the use of dental amalgam (versus a ban) through increased attention to dental prevention and health promotion, increased research and development on alternatives, and best management techniques for amalgam waste. This position is shared and led by the WHO Oral Health Programme.

The summary of the IADR Dental Materials Innovation Workshop held last month at King’s College London was made available to the member state negotiators and was helpful in communicating the dedication of the research community in developing alternatives.

IADR applauds the hard work of the member state negotiators who tackled extremely complex issues and appreciates the deference shown to the WHO position and the IADR, FDI and IDM interventions, which all supported patients’ health, first and foremost. IADR was pleased the final agreement contained provisions for the use of dental amalgam, which included “setting national objectives aiming at dental caries prevention and health promotion, thereby minimizing the need for dental restoration”, “promoting research and development of quality mercury-free materials for dental restoration”, and “promoting the use of best environmental practices.”

About the International Association for Dental Research

The International Association for Dental Research (IADR) is a nonprofit organization with more than 12,000 individual members worldwide, dedicated to: (1) advancing research and increasing knowledge to improve oral health, (2) supporting the oral health research community, and (3) facilitating the communication and application of research findings for the improvement of oral health worldwide. To learn more, visit www.iadr.org.