Dentists Shout Out to Phase-out Mercury Amalgam by 2022!
About 95.70% of dentists in Bangladesh have stopped the use of mercury amalgam in their treatment!
Dhaka 23rd February 2022: “Government of Bangladesh has always worked for the betterment of people and is committed to saving our people’s health as well as environment” said Habibun Nahar, MP, Honorable Deputy Minister, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. “Alternatives are widely available in our country and as a matter of fact from the study findings of ESDO and BDS, we can see dentists are using these alternatives. These alternatives need to be accessible and affordable to everyone so we can phase out this hazardous toxic chemical from our country” she added.
A High-Level Policy Dialogue was organized by Environment and Social Development Organization-ESDO in association with Bangladesh Dental Society – BDS and the Department of Environment – DoE today (Wednesday) to share the findings of the study report titled “Country Situation Report on Phasing out Mercury Amalgam from Dentistry of Bangladesh by 2022”. Habibun Nahar, MP, Honorable Deputy Minister, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change dignified the event as the chief guest.
Mercury has been used in fillings since the 19th century but has faced controversy since the beginning. Shortly after the invention of amalgam in 1819, numerous harmful effects were widely reported. Mercury poisoning became a top concern in many countries including Bangladesh and many dentists nowadays vowed to stop using the material. In Bangladesh, a rising number of dentists and patients have already moved from mercury-containing amalgam fillings to its alternatives for health reasons.
Recently, ESDO in association with BDS and the Asian center for Environmental Health and with the support of World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry conducted a study by surveying registered dentists to assess the current percentage of dentists in Bangladesh who do not use mercury amalgam in their practices. From the study finding, it was found that, out of 9086 registered surveyed dentists, 8695 (95.70%) dentists are not using mercury dental amalgam in their treatment.
The report also disclosed that 95.70% of doctors have access to these alternatives. The majority of dentists have acknowledged that mercury amalgam is unsafe as well as many of the patients (87.1%) are concerned about the color and harmful effects of the mercury amalgam. GIC and composite are very popular among the alternatives due to their better health impact, aesthetic look, durability, and cost. Miracle Mix, Shofu, Fuji 9 are other alternatives also used by dentists.
Bangladesh is on the verge of making mercury-free dentistry a reality, according to Session Chair Syed Marghub Murshed, Former Secretary of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and Chairperson of ESDO. All that is required is a specific rule. He also requested the Honorable Deputy Minister, Habibun Nahar, MP, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, to look into the matter as soon as possible because public health should be a top priority for any country.
Another Special Guest Keya Khan, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said that “the Minamata Convention on Mercury is a global treaty that calls for mercury dental amalgam to be phased out. As a result, we must be more focused to take action on this issue”.
According to the Guest of Honor of the event President of Bangladesh Dental Society Prof. Dr. Md. Abul Kasem “Mercury is harmful not only to our health but also to our environment. Mercury amalgam has already been banned in several countries. The use of mercury in dental treatment must be prohibited immediately to protect our future.”
President of World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry Attorney Charles G. Brown joined the meeting as guest speaker through a virtual platform from The United State of America. He said ‘Bangladesh is on the threshold of becoming the first majority-Muslim nation in the world to have mercury-free dentistry. The World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry urges the Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change, the Bangladesh Dental Society, the dental colleges, ESDO, and all other stakeholders to agree that now is the time for Bangladesh to be first. The World Alliance has such supreme confidence in Bangladesh that we put our Asian headquarters in Dhaka’, he added.
Among other guest speakers, Mr. Dominique Bally, Vice President – Africa, World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry and Mr. Florian Schulze, Director, European Center for Environmental Medicine both shared their thoughts on Phasing out Mercury Amalgam from dentistry emphasizing the African and the European Amendment respectfully.
The event guests were formally welcomed by Prof. Dr. Humayun Kabir Bulbul at the beginning, Secretary-General of BDS. He said ‘Civil society should take the lead in raising public awareness about the dangers of mercury amalgam in dentistry. Since June 2018, the Bangladesh Dental Society has stopped using dental amalgam on children and pregnant mothers, and we are now working with ESDO to completely phase out mercury use in dentistry. So, on behalf of the Bangladesh Dental Society and ESDO, I would like to urge the government and relevant authorities to prohibit the import, sale, and use of dental amalgam in Bangladesh, as well as to ratify the Minamata Convention as soon as possible.’ He added
Among other guest speakers, Masud Iqbal Md. Shameem, Director and Focal Person of MIA project, Department of Environment emphasized the significance and urgency of ratifying the Minamata Convention on Mercury, highlighting that long-term mercury exposure can have serious health and environmental consequences.
Among other Siddika Sultana, Executive Director of ESDO, Dr. Shahriar Hossain, Secretary General of ESDO, Dr. Md. Mahbubur Rahman, Project Coordinator, Environmental Intervention Unit, icddr,b. Dr. Mahfuzar Rahman, Country Director, Pure Earth, renowned dentists, faculty members and journalists were also present at the event. A Thematic presentation presented by Subhatun Nur Prithy, Project Associate, ESDO.
For more information please contact:
Subhatun Nur Prithy
Project Associate – ESDO
Email: info@esdo.org,
prithy@esdo.org
Mobile: +8801726053420
