The phase down of amalgam must be supported by investment in prevention strategies in Northern Ireland according to the BDA.

The province, along with England, doesn’t currently have a national oral health improvement scheme for children, unlike in Scotland and Wales. The BDA made the point in its submission to the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs’ consultation on the UK’s implementation of the EU regulations on mercury.

By 1 January 2019, dental amalgam will only be permitted in pre-dosed encapsulated form and dental facilities will have to be equipped with an amalgam separator. The BDA believes that all nations in the UK need to have a national plan in place by July 2019 on the measures they will employ to phase down the use of amalgam in restorations.

BDA chair Mick Armstrong said: “The phasing down of amalgam is substantial and needs to be thought through carefully and mustn’t be done on a whim or prayer. UK governments need to develop proper, funded strategies for prevention, especially in Northern Ireland and England, to deliver the scale of phase down required.”