Resources

This National Guideline has been developed as part of the project “Accelerate implementation of dental amalgam provisions and strengthen country capacities in the environmental sound management of associated wastes under the Minamata Convention on Mercury”.

Dr Ruediger Krech highlights the urgent public health concerns posed by mercury exposure, especially to vulnerable populations such as pregnant women and children. He outlines WHO’s role in supporting countries through policy guidance, awareness campaigns, and implementation of the Minamata Convention health articles.

This WHO initiative page, guided by the Global Oral Health Action Plan 2023–2030,  promotes environmentally sound oral health practices by addressing key challenges such as mercury use in dental amalgam, plastic waste, and carbon emissions.

Le rapport de l’évaluation de la situation nationale de l’utilisation des amalgames dentaires et de la gestion des déchets associés est élaboré par la DSBD de la DLM, dans une approche participative multisectorielle.

This case study funded by the African, Caribbean, and Pacific Multilateral Environmental Agreements Phase 3 (ACP MEAs III) Programme presents key insights from the market assessment of mercury-free products and the development of three targeted mercuryfree procurement policies—for medical measuring devices, dental amalgam, and lighting products—in the three participating countries: St.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury prohibits the manufacture, import, and export of listed mercury-added products, including batteries, switches, certain lamps, cosmetics and measuring devices, with limited exemptions. It also requires Parties to phase down the use of dental amalgam.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury requires parties to phase down the use of dental fillings containing mercury, called dental amalgam. It restricts its use in vulnerable populations, including children and pregnant women.

Explore Insights, Resources and Intersessional Work gathered in the Minamata Convention on Mercury Topic: Dental amalgam.

Public health laboratories play a leading role in the ongoing, successful responses to these threats. While limited resources restrict a laboratory’s ability to address every threat, mercury is a global health crisis that merits attention not only due to its toxicity and prevalence, but also because of environmental concerns affecting communities disproportionately.

The Department of Health, Ministry of Public Health and Department of Pollution Control, Ministry of Environment have initiated a project to minimize the use of dental amalgam and enhance Thailand's capacity for environmentally management under the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

The Zero Mercury Working Group Newsletter is published monthly since November 2019.

Presentations made at the webinar on Managing mercury waste from dental amalgam and medical measuring devices, organised by UNEP on 9 December 2024.

Dental amalgam has been used as a restorative material to address dental caries and is one of the  contributors to mercury consumption across the globe. The Minamata Convention on Mercury is a global treaty that aims to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds.

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[ French ] Les amalgames dentaires communément appelés plombage contiennent du mercure, un composé très toxique pour les hommes et pour l'environnement. Les organismes au niveau global (OMS et le Fonds pour l'environnement UN Environment Program) préconisent sa réduction voire son élimination. Découvrez pourquoi à travers cette vidéo.

The Global Mercury Partnership and its two areas of work on mercury in products and waste management, in cooperation with the World Health Organization, organized an online webinar on 18 December 2023.

Reinforcing the health sector’s commitment to the implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury: The showcase of GEF-UNEP-WHO projects on mercury-added products

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World Health Organization (WHO) and the Secretariat of the Minamata Convention jointly conducted an online survey on the measures taken to phase down the use of dental amalgam. The preliminary results are now available as an Appendix to the Information Document UNEP/MC/COP.5/INF/30/Rev.1

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Materiales didácticos

Background Document of the “Accelerate implementation of dental amalgam provisions and strengthen country capacities in the environmental sound management of associated wastes under the Minamata Convention” GEF7 Phasing Down Dental Amalgam project.

This WHO oral health briefing note series focuses on prevention and treatment of dental caries (tooth decay) with mercury-free products and minimal interventions. Dental caries is a major public health problem globally as the disease affects all age groups, with an onset in early childhood and continued increase over the life course.

Despite advances in modern dentistry, untreated dental caries in permanent teeth was reported as one the most prevalent conditions assessed in the 2019 Global Burden of Disease study. The restorative model for managing dental caries was developed in the 1900s, with dental amalgam as one of the restorative materials.

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The World Health Organization website provides information on oral health through Overview, Causes and Symptoms and Responses. It also links to more information on the subject through Fact sheets, Databases and tools, Resolutions and decisions and Technical work.

Background: Indiscriminate disposal of hospital wastes including mercury/amalgam wastes pose a serious threat to life and environment. There is a growing concern about biomedical waste (BMW) management among health care workers, however there are limited reports on BMW management by dental personnel in developing countries.