New Minamata Convention amendment goes into effect today

The Children’s Amendment to the amalgam reduction requirement of the Minamata Convention enters into force today, 24 June 2022!
 
At the 4th Conference of the Parties in Indonesia last March, our powerhouse coalition, the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry, succeeded in gaining protection from dental amalgam for the most vulnerable consumers.  We won the Children’s Amendment, which requires that Parties “Exclude or not allow, by taking measures as appropriate, or recommend against the use of dental amalgam for the dental treatment of deciduous teeth, of patients under 15 years and of pregnant and breastfeeding women…”

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Minamata Convention amended to protect children from amalgam

Reflecting a remarkable shift in global opinion, the nations of the world have amended the Minamata Convention on Mercury to call for ending amalgam use in children and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.  On 25 March 2022, the Parties to the Minamata Convention (that is, the national governments) decided unanimously to amend this international treaty to…

“….Exclude or not allow, by taking measures as appropriate, or recommend against the use of dental amalgam for the dental treatment of deciduous teeth [baby teeth], of patients under 15 years and of pregnant and breastfeeding women….“

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Another major manufacturer exits the amalgam business

Dentsply Sirona quietly stopped its amalgam sales, as announced last year.  Now the other major U.S. amalgam manufacturer, Kerr (currently a subsidiary of Envista Holdings Corporation and previously a subsidiary of Danaher), has announced that it has “…ceased manufacturing all Alloy products, including all of our amalgam products that may contain mercury.” Kerr goes on to explain that….
 
“Specifically, we ceased manufacturing these products in the third quarter of 2021 and communicated this decision to our customers in November of 2021. As part of this communication, we cancelled many of our customers outstanding orders for amalgams containing mercury and directed our customers to our other materials that do not contain mercury. We also engaged in a vigorous campaign to assist our customers in swapping their amalgam products containing mercury to materials that do not contain mercury.”
 

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Dorah Swai wins “First in Africa” Award

The World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry proudly announces that its “First in Africa” Award goes to Dorah Swai of Dar es Salaam, who works for the renowned Tanzanian NGO AGENDA.   

“Tanzania is the first country in Africa to have mercury-free dentistry,” said Charlie Brown of the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry in Washington. “The quite challenging multi-year campaign to set a deadline for use of toxic mercury in this great nation was engineered by Dorah Swai of the NGO ‘AGENDA.’  The World Alliance is deeply appreciative of Dorah.  We give this unique award to recognize her years of arduous service for the people and environment of Tanzania and the entire continent.”

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Leading dental products manufacturer stops selling amalgam 

In the clearest sign yet that amalgam is headed to the dustbins of history, Dentsply Sirona – the world’s largest manufacturer of dental products – has exited the amalgam market.  In its annual report to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, this industry behemoth quietly noted: “[W]e have discontinued sales for all amalgam products as of December 2020.”


The coup de grâce for Dentsply appears to have been U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recommendation against amalgam use in high-risk populations.  As Dentsply explained:

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