World Oral Health Day aims to increase public awareness about oral hygiene. Via our mouths, everything that we consciously and unconsciously eat enters our bodies. So, it is crucial that we take extra care of our dental health. The majority of individuals utilize mercury dental amalgam for tooth fillings while being unaware of the metal’s neurotoxic properties. It may also alter renal functioning, harm the developing brain, and hinder the growth of fetus and early birth.
Considering the health impacts of mercury amalgam on children, The Bangladesh Dental Society declared to ban the usage of dental amalgam in the treatment of children and pregnant mothers on June 30, 2018.
The Minamata Convention on Mercury has been revised by the world’s states to call for the elimination of amalgam usage in children and women who are pregnant or nursing, reflecting a notable shift in global opinion.
This new modification reflects the general opinion that dental amalgam is unsafe for use on children and other vulnerable groups, both in their mouths and in their surroundings. Leading the fight to gain this amendment was the Africa Region.
In order to build the framework for the amalgam amendment’s passage, the Global Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry launched a multifaceted effort. They did this by persuading the Minamata Secretariat that mercury-free amalgam substitutes are possible. convincing the World Health Organization that a phase-out of amalgams is possible and disseminating the research and workable policy solutions to countries worldwide.
So, it is crucial to implement the children amendment under the Minamata convention to stop mercury poisoning in children and to secure their healthy futures.
