A new way of campaign for Mercury-free dentistry: Mobile Campaign in Bangladesh
Dhaka, 23 November, 2017: Youth showed a new method of campaign called “Mobile Campaign” on mercury free dentistry in Bangladesh today. To phase out Mercury amalgam use in dentistry and save children and child bearing mother from the harmful effect Mercury was the main motive of the Mobile Campaign. Environment and Social Development Organization- ESDO team and Young Dentists moved different areas of Dhaka including some crowded place in Mirpur, Mahammadpur, Shyamoli and let mass people know about the harmful implication of dental amalgam. World alliance for Mercury free dentistry and Asian Center for Environmental Health supported the Mobile Campaign.
The main purpose of the Mobile Campaign is to draw Govt. attention to ban Mercury from Dentistry and to create awareness among the mass people about the harmful effect of Mercury. The Mobile Campaign gets a very good response from the general people. They express their willingness to know about the effects of using Mercury in dental amalgam and after knowing they demand to ban Mercury. ESDO has been working on banning mercury from dentistry since 2010. ESDO’s major strategy for establishing mercury-free dentistry in Bangladesh is to conduct community mobilizing and awareness raising campaigns. ESDO makes people aware of the negative effects of mercury amalgam and keeps them updated by arranging social media campaigns, mobile campaigns and awareness raising campaigns in educational institutions such as schools, colleges and universities. Several workshops have been and are being conducted by ESDO, involving dental professionals, dentists, academicians, government representatives, and other relevant stakeholders
Mercury is a known neurotoxin that can cause harm to humans, especially children, pregnant women and fetuses. It causes Skin cancer and kidney damage, Damage the brain, kidneys, immune system of children, Neurological problems, Hair falls out, Damage in health tissue cell etc. Furthermore, the use of dental amalgam results in substantial quantities of toxic mercury released annually into the environment. At the end of the event, General people, Students, Doctors expressed their willingness to work and assist ESDO and BDS to ensure mercury free dentistry and ultimately a mercury free environment. The main aim of such kind of activities of ESDO and BDS is to complete phase out of Mercury from dentistry within 2018.
For More information:
Dr. Shahriar Hossain
Secretary General, ESDO
Phone: 02 912-2729
E-mail: shahriar25@gmail.com, info@esdo.org
