With one exception
EU Parliament decides to ban amalgam fillings
April 10, 2024, 7:36 p.m
It is estimated that, despite possible alternatives, 40 tonnes of mercury are still used in the EU every year to produce dental amalgam. The EU parliamentarians are now voting for a ban on the filling. Some member states should be given some delay in implementation.
The European Parliament has passed a comprehensive ban on mercury in dental fillings. The MPs in Brussels voted for a law according to which the filler amalgam may no longer be used in dental treatments from next year. The European Commission’s stated goal is to create a “mercury-free Europe” and to protect citizens and the environment from the toxic substance. The member states still have to formally approve the ban.
It is estimated that, despite possible alternatives, 40 tonnes of mercury are still used in the EU every year to produce dental amalgam. So far it has only been banned across the EU for the treatment of children under 15 and pregnant or breastfeeding women. Dental amalgam is also still used in Germany.
Criticism from dentists
The ban that has now been decided from 2025 provides for temporary exceptions for member states that need more time to adapt their national health system. They can continue to allow the use, production and import of amalgam until June 30, 2026 at most. According to the law, there are also exceptions if a doctor considers treatment with the substance containing mercury to be “absolutely necessary”.
In their compromise from the beginning of February, the negotiators from Parliament and the 27 EU states also agreed to ban the production, import and export of six lamps containing mercury from the end of 2025 or mid-2026.
The Federal Association of Statutory Health Insurance Dentists (KZBV) sharply criticized the negotiators’ agreement in February. “A loss of dental amalgam will make the care of vulnerable patient groups much more difficult,” said KZBV CEO Martin Hendges to the editorial network Germany. There are currently no alternative materials available “with sufficient evidence” for all forms of care. In order to close this knowledge gap, further research must be carried out and results will only be available in a few years.