The forum brought together over 67 participants drawn from Government, Dental practitioners, Dental students, Dental surgery technicians, Academia, Media and Civil society groups among others, and deliberated on issues bothering on the phasing down of the use dental amalgam in the South East region.
Goodwill messages were delivered by the Dean, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Nigeria; Enugu State Ministries of Health and Environment; Rector, College of Dental Technology and Therapy Enugu, Enugu State Nigerian Dental Association (NDA), Chair, South East Oral Health Forum and the World Alliance for Mercury Free Dentistry (WAMFD).
During the meeting participants observed the following:
1. Mercury is a chemical of global concern owing to its long range atmospheric transport, its persistence in the environment once anthropogenically introduced and its ability to bio-accumulate in ecosystems.
2. Exposure to mercury can harm the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, cardiovascular system and immune system, particularly in women, unborn children and infants. Developing organs are the most sensitive.