2016 World Oral Health Forum

Poznań, Poland

Are you ready for amalgam phase-down? How the Minamata Convention impacts your Dental Practice

The United Nations imperative to reduce exposure to environmental mercury exposure, embodied in the Minamata Convention, has profound implications for the practice of dentistry through its requirement to phase down the use of dental amalgam.  The momentum to implement the recommendations of the Minamata Convention is now building and FDI recognizes the importance of taking a proactive role in the amalgam phase-down discussions and leading the debate on the implications of this decision for global oral health and on the practice of dentistry. Organized in partnership with the International Association for Dental Research, this session carried the debate forward.

Moderators Click to watch each presenter's webcast and slides

• David Williams - Vice-Chair, FDI Science Committee
• Why we need to commit to the phase-down of dental amalgam use
  Christopher Fox - Executive Director, International Association for Dental Research

Panelists Click to watch each presenter's webcast and slides

• What are the challenges of phasing down the use of dental amalgam?
  Jocelyne Feine – Editor, JDR Clinical & Translational Research
• Restorative materials after Minamata: What will be left?
  Gottfried Schmalz – Professor, Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, University of Regensburg
• New materials for a post-Minamata era
  Jirun Sun – Polymer Scientist, National Institute of Standards and Technology
• Meaning of Minamata for oral health community in a resource-constrained setting?
  Benoit Varenne – Regional Advisor on Oral Health, Regional Office for Africa, World Health Organization
• Questions and answers
  All panelists