ReviewJournal of health & pollution2019
Mercury Contamination from Dental Amalgam.
Review in Journal of health & pollution, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Biomonitoring of Occupational Exposure to Mercury Among Dental Health Workers in LMICs: A Systematic Review.International dental journal · 2026Pooled it
- Do bioactive materials show greater retention rates in restoring permanent teeth than non-bioactive materials? A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Clinical oral investigations · 2023Pooled it
- Human biomonitoring in support of the Minamata Convention: a case of phasing out dental amalgam.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2026Article
- From Traditional to Eco-Friendly Dentistry: Assessing the Promising Sustainability Outlook in Saudi Arabia.International journal of dentistry · 2026Article
- Awareness, Knowledge and Practice of Dental Professionals Regarding Biomedical Waste Management for a Green Dentistry: A Scoping Review.Dentistry journal · 2025Review
- Mercury poisoning in women and infants inhabiting the Gangetic plains of Bihar: risk assessment.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Recent advances in the clinical management of intoxication by five heavy metals: Mercury, lead, chromium, cadmium and arsenic.Heliyon · 2025Review
- Green Dentistry: State of the Art and Possible Development Proposals.Dentistry journal · 2025Review
- Scoping review on the association between early childhood caries and responsible resource consumption and production: exploring Sustainable Development Goal 12.BMC oral health · 2024Article
- A State-of-the-Science Review on Metal Biomarkers.Current environmental health reports · 2023Review
- Dental amalgam: the history and legacy you perhaps never knew?British dental journal · 2022Article
- Role of Nanoparticles in Environmental Remediation: An Insight into Heavy Metal Pollution from Dentistry.Bioinorganic chemistry and applications · 2022Review
- Erythrocytes as a Model for Heavy Metal-Related Vascular Dysfunction: The Protective Effect of Dietary Components.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
- Toxic effects of selected trace elements contained in make-ups on female university students in Nigeria.Environmental monitoring and assessment · 2021Article
- Green synthesis of SnOJournal of environmental health science & engineering · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMercury in dental amalgam is a hidden source of global mercury pollution, resulting from the illegal diversion of dental mercury into the artisanal and small-scale gold mining sector, to crematoria emissions from the deceased and sewage sludge that is sold to farmers. These significant mercury sources result in air, water, and food contamination that consequently have a negative impact on human health.
objectivesThe aim of the present study was to investigate and report on all of the various pathways mercury in dental amalgam can enter the environment.
methodsThe present study searched the electronic data bases of PubMed and Google Scholar. Peer reviewed journals and references of studies included for full-text review were examined for potentially relevant studies. Articles published between 2000 to 2018 were searched and specifically screened for articles that referenced "Dental Amalgam," and the following key words in various combinations: "Minamata Convention on Mercury Treaty," "Sewage Sludge," "Cremation," and "Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining." Data were included on the most populous countries of China, India, the United States, Brazil, and the European Union collectively. We also included data on cremation statistics and current global trends, looking at populations where cremation is a common practice, such as Japan and India. DISCUSSION: Dental amalgam represents a significant, but understudied area of global mercury pollution that includes cremation, sewage sludge, burial, and small-scale gold mining.
conclusionsMercury used in products and processes, including dental amalgams, is a global pollutant. Even after the last mercury dental amalgam is placed, its toxic legacy will continue for decades, because of its pervasive bioaccumulation in the environment. Government regulatory agencies should make it mandatory to utilize available technologies, not only in developing countries, but also in developed countries, to reduce mercury contamination. COMPETING INTERESTS: The authors declare no competing financial interests.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.