A Dental Knell or Wake-up Call?

As the January Dental Update Comment went to press,1 the European Union swiftly ratified the banning of dental amalgam from use and export, with an implementation date of January 2025, except when the use of dental amalgam is deemed strictly necessary by the dental practitioner to address specific medical needs of the patient (a previously used, rather ambiguous term). This led to an outcry from across the profession in the UK, with the British Dental Association highlighting the impact on an already struggling NHS dental service. Indeed, the impact of the amalgam ban in the EU may disproportionately affect the patients who present with late caries, as is frequently seen across the UK, accepting that many patients never have the opportunity to get as far as a dentist.2