EU Limits Use of Amalgam

The EU has published its Mercury Regulation. According to Article 10, Section 2, dental amalgam may not be used after July 1, 2018 for dental treatment of baby teeth, children under the age of 15, and pregnant or breastfeeding women. Nevertheless, dentists can make exceptions when they judge an amalgam treatment for a patient as absolutely necessary. In addition, Article 10, Section 1 allows the use of dental amalgam only in prefilled capsules as of January 1, 2019. By 2020, studies are to determine if dentists can avoid the use of amalgam entirely after 2030. The regulation is part of a package that the EU Parliament, the member states, and the EU Commission want to use to implement the Minamata Convention. The goal of the Convention is to limit the use of mercury in stages. It gives particular attention to amalgam. According to a Risk Assessment (German only) of the Institute for Environmental Medicine and Hospital Hygiene at the University Clinics in Freiburg, some 70 tons of mercury are used for amalgam every year in the EU. The authors of the assessment refer to other studies and to Swedish researchers who assume a quantity of 1,300–2,200 tons of mercury in the teeth of EU residents. The use of amalgam has been forbidden since 2009 in Sweden. Ensure the legal compliance of your products. We are happy to offer you support. Please contact us at reach@kft.de.