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Amalgam Minamata Restrictions — ORE Part 1 MCQ

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ModerateDental Public Health & EpidemiologyAmalgam Minamata RestrictionsORE Part 1

A dental practice is reviewing its mercury-reduction policy. Under current UK restrictions implementing the Minamata Convention, in which circumstance may dental amalgam be used?

Educational content. Not a substitute for clinical judgement or local policy.

Reveal the answer and explanation

Correct answer: B — Only when strictly necessary for a primary tooth or a patient under 15 years, pregnant, or breastfeeding

Explanation lettering: E = shown as A · A = shown as B · B = shown as E

**A is correct.** Since 1 July 2018, UK restrictions allow amalgam for deciduous teeth, patients under 15 years, and pregnant or breastfeeding patients only where the dental practitioner considers it strictly necessary. The restriction is therefore not an absolute ban, and it includes primary teeth in patients of any age. B is wrong because there is no hospital-consultant authorisation requirement. C is wrong because primary teeth are themselves within the restricted categories. D is wrong because amalgam remains available outside the restricted groups; it is not limited to those patients. E describes an environmental control that may be relevant to amalgam handling, but it does not remove the patient-group restrictions or define when amalgam may be placed.

Reference: Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP), Dental Amalgam: Restricting the Use of Dental Amalgam in Specific Patient Groups, June 2018. https://www.sdcep.org.uk/published-guidance/dental-amalgam/