Nepal Dental Association

Even today in 21st century, a large number of health care facilities in Nepal still use large number of mercury based measuring instruments such as mercury thermometers, mercury sphygmomanometer, chemicals and practices and products such as dental amalgam, vaccine preservative, fluorescent lamps, batteries and other many items in the health care sectors. A large amount of mercury (125 Kg.) has been found to be released annually to the environment from health-care services of Nepal just from the breakage of thermometer. More than 150 Kg. mercury based chemicals and dental amalgam have been found to be annually sold into the Nepalese market of dentistry. About a million of florescent lamps including CFL with various amount of mercury has been imported, sold, distributed and used with various promotional programs of government, business communities and even media houses as well as NGOs.

For the elimination of mercury use and betterment of human health, Nepal Dental Association (NDA) and CEPHED has been working together for the mercury free dentistry program. Initially, CEPHED and NDA had brief meeting on 22nd Feb 2013 with objectives to provide insight about mercury toxicity to dentists, Discuss on Removal methods or Alternatives of mercury based instruments to make health sector mercury free specially mercury free Dentistry sector and Discuss on the platform to form alliance of CEPHED and NDA to make mercury-free health care services.

CEPHED and NDA jointly conducted a research on the bio-monitoring of mercury in human hair particularly on professionals involved in Dentistry Sector on 2013.

On 26th-27th May 2014, CEPHED organized a National Conference on MERCURY FREE DENTISTRY, Regulatory Framework, Phase out Plan and Inclusion of Mercury Alternatives in Curriculum with support from Department of Health Services.
NDA and CEPHED jointly organized a Program on Minamata Convention on Mercury Moving Towards Mercury Free Dentistry & Health Care Services in Nepal on 16th August, 2013