title: Dental amalgam: effects of alloy/mercury mixing ratio, uses and waste management.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Silver dental amalgam is one of the oldest filling materials used in dentistry. The American Dental Association (ADA) has estimated that billions of amalgam restorations have been placed in patients in the last 150 years. Due to the presence of mercury and mishandling during the filling make it more controversial. The objective of this study was to conduct a survey of the use of different brands and to assess any deviations in practice from the hand mixing manual method of elemental mercury and alloy in a pestle/mortar and encapsulated form.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire was sent to 250 of randomly selected dental practitioner in various localities of Karachi. Data was analysed to record the specified brands used along with their powder/liquid (P/L) ratio and the different methods for disposing off mercury in this study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most commonly used form of dispensing method was hand mixing (57%) and only 30% of the dentists followed the manufacturer instruction for hand mixing ratio.Eighty-seven percent of dental amalgam restoration was performed and 13% removed by the dentist per month and the method of disposing the amalgam wastage that 55%, 25%, and 20% dentists were used the sink, bin and other methods respectively in their dental clinics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Amalgam restoration is still popular filling material in the posterior region of the mouth but we need to create awareness among the dentists who do not follow the ADA specifications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Material Sciences, Baqai Dental College, Karachi, Pakistan. kefiiqbal@hotmail.com
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kefi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maria
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Majid
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sana
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Afreen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fareed
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Feroze
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sajid
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Adel
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iftikhar
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yawer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaleem
mesh_terms: D003722:Dental Alloys / Q000737:chemistry*; D003723:Dental Amalgam / Q000737:chemistry*; D018057:Dental Waste; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D017744:Medical Waste Disposal / Q000592:standards*; D008628:Mercury / Q000737:chemistry*; D010154:Pakistan; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D003722:Dental Alloys; D018057:Dental Waste; D017744:Medical Waste Disposal; D003723:Dental Amalgam; D008628:Mercury