Side-event: Phasing down the use of dental amalgam: Insights from Asia, Africa and South America

Side Event: Phasing down the use of dental amalgam: Insights from Asia, Africa and South America  - A side event during the WHO Global oral health meeting

When: Thursday 28 November, 17:00 to 18:00

Where: Bangkok, Thailand

BACKGROUND:

Dental amalgam, a common filling material for treating dental caries, has been used for over 175 years. One of the global targets of the WHO Global oral health action plan 2023-2030 is that, by 2030, 90% of countries have implemented measures to phase down the use of dental amalgam as stipulated in the Minamata Convention on Mercury or have phased it out. The Minamata Convention on Mercury is a global treaty that entered into force in 2017 with the aim to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds. Article 4 of the Minamata Convention, specifically Annex A Part II, outlines the provisions for Parties to phase down the use of dental amalgam. The original text of Annex A Part II listed nine measures from which Parties are to implement two or more. The Conference of the Parties at its fourth meeting in 2022 (COP4) amended the Annex, with the addition of two mandatory measures to exclude or not allow the use of mercury in bulk form by dental practitioners, and to exclude or not allow the use of dental amalgam for the dental treatment of deciduous teeth, children under 15 years, pregnant women, and breastfeeding women, except when considered necessary by the dental practitioner based on the needs of the patient. Moreover, one additional mandatory measure was adopted in COP5 with all parties that have not yet phased out dental amalgam required now to submit to the secretariat a national action plan or a report based on available information with respect to progress they have made or are making to phase down or phase out dental amalgam every four years as part of national reporting.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded project “Accelerate implementation of dental amalgam provisions and strengthen country capacities in the environmental sound management of associated wastes under the Minamata Convention” (GEF7 Phasing Down Dental Amalgam Project) is a 3-year project implemented by UNEP and executed by the WHO with targeted technical assistance from the UNEP Global Mercury Partnership. Officially launched on 1 March 2023, the project’s objective is to protect human health and the environment from harmful effects of mercury through implementation of policies and improved practices to phase down the use of dental amalgam. The project supports the implementation of the Minamata Convention in both global and national contexts, with several activities being implemented in three countries: Senegal, Thailand and Uruguay, under the leadership of multisectoral collaboration between the Ministries of Health and Environment. The project also focuses on promoting mercury-free materials to prevent and control dental caries which is an opportunity to promote a holistic and coherent approach to health, focusing on health systems strengthening, therefore, supporting each of these countries on their efforts towards achieving Universal Health Coverage and broader Sustainable Development Goals.

OBJECTIVES

• To raise awareness about the crucial role of the oral health sector and the importance of multisectoral collaboration between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Environment in implementing the Minamata Convention.
• To provide information on the ongoing GEF7 Phasing Down Dental Amalgam Project and showcase the experiences, progress and achievements made by project countries.

FORMAT

The side event will feature presentations from representatives from Senegal, Thailand, and Uruguay, UNEP and WHO. These presentations will be followed by a facilitated panel discussion with an interactive Q&A session to engage participants and address their queries. All side events are in-person only events, only attendees at the WHO Global Oral Health Meeting can attend.

AGENDA

Opening remarks, Minamata Convention and GEF7 initiative on phasing down dental amalgam - Grace Halla, UNEP

Key elements of the national situation assessments - Gabriela Sardon, WHO

Senegal: Key findings from the national situation assessment and efforts to synergize the project with other initiatives in the region -    Dr Codou Badiane Mané, Chief Dental Officer, Ministère de la Sante, Sénégal Mr Pathé Dieye, Ministère de l'Environnement et du Développement Durable, Sénégal

Thailand: Piloting the implementation of sound management practices for handling dental amalgam waste - Environmental Health Bureau, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand

Uruguay: Phasing out dental amalgam and managing all remaining stocks of the material - Dr Adriana Otheguy, Chief Dental Officer, Ministry of Public Health,Uruguay - Ms Judith Torres, Ministry of Environment, Uruguay

Panel Discussion and Q&A Session - Moderated by Imelda Dossou Etui, UNEP Global Mercury Partnership
Panellists:

• Dr Codou Badiane Mané, Chief Dental Officer, Ministère de la Sante, Sénégal
• Mr Pathé Dieye, Ministère de l'Environnement et du Développement Durable, Sénégal
• Dr Nanmanas Yaembut , Dentist, Senior Professional Level, Dental Health Bureau, Department of Health, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand
• Department of Pollution Control, Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment, Thailand

Closing remarks - Benoit Varenne, WHO