Volume 8 • 2021 • Issue 6

Dentistry Contributes to Decline in Mercury Use A new Environment and Climate Change Canada report shows that between 2016 and 2019, the amount of dental amalgam imported to Canada decreased by 25%. A bout 30 years ago, concerns were raised about health risks related to mercury in dental amalgam, a restorative material that has been used in dentistry for more than 150 years. “In the 1990s, instruments that were sensitive enough to measure trace amounts of mercury became widely available, thereby allowing for the detection of small amounts of mercury released by amalgam restorations,” says Dr. Benoit Soucy, CDA’s Chief Knowledge Officer. Research eventually showed that the amount of mercury released by dental amalgam was too small to have a health impact, except in the most sensitive individuals. Today, dental amalgam remains a valuable restorative material because it works better among patients with complex restorative needs and is more durable than alternatives, such as dental composite resins. What remained were questions about the environmental impact of mercury being used in dental offices. In 2002, CDA signed a memorandum of understanding with the Canadian government on the management of mercury waste from dental amalgam. The installation of amalgam separators in Canadian dental offices achieved a 98% reduction of amalgam waste released in wastewater. In 2009, Dr. Soucy served as a representative of Canada in a meeting on the future use of materials for dental restoration organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva. CDA and the Office of the Chief Dental Officer of The installation of amalgam separators in Canadian dental offices achieved a 98% reduction of amalgam waste released in wastewater. 19 Issue 6 | 2021 | CDA atWork