Phasing out dental amalgam in Nigeria: SEDI shows the way forward
By Isaac Eranga Benin City: In a bid to phasing out dental amalgam in Nigeria, the Sustainable Environment Development Initiative (SEDI) has called for the use of Mercury-free dental restoration alternatives. According to SEDI, dental amalgam is a mercury-added product containing about 50% of mercury, forming. Metallic alloy with silver, copper and tin. It is widely used in the restoration of teeth affected by dental caries which is about the most common dental disease worldwide. This was contained in a press statement signed by the Executive Director- Dr. Tom Aneni. According to the statement, "dental amalgam has been available for over 150 years and has the largest life expectancies of all the direct materials used in the restoration of carious teeth. It is easier to use, less expensive and has adequate mechanical and bacteriostatic properties. "However, in contrast to today's alternative materials which are renowned for being used for minimally invasive treatment, ama