European Commission publishes final opinion on amalgam
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- Published: Tuesday, 02 June 2015 07:44
- Written by News Editor
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The European Commission has published a final Opinion on the safety of dental amalgam and alternative dental restoration materials, concluding that current evidence does not preclude the use of either amalgam or alternative materials in dental restorative treatment. Currently throughout the EU, there is a shift away from the use of dental amalgam in oral health care towards an increased use of alternative materials.
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The Opinion advises that the choice of material should be based on patient characteristics such as primary or permanent teeth, pregnancy, the presence of allergies to mercury or other components of restorative materials and the presence of impaired renal clearance.
The Commission's non-food Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR), has assessed the safety and effectiveness of dental amalgam and its possible alternatives, evaluating the scientific evidence on the potential association between amalgam and adverse health effects.
The BDA says it has lobbied the Commission through the Council of European Dentists, for a gradual phase-down of the use of amalgam, arguing that a rapid total ban could potentially destabilise NHS dentistry in the UK, and highlighted the need for the current continued availability of amalgam for certain types of restorations.
UK practitioners are subject to stringent waste and disposal regulations to minimise the risk of mercury contamination to the environment.
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