Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what investment they have made into the research and development of appropriate alternatives for mercury amalgam fillings in dentistry.

Dental amalgam is a well-established, safe, and effective dental filling material. Current policy is to restrict and phase down the use of dental amalgam to reduce any environmental impacts. This includes regulations to ban the use of amalgam in baby teeth, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and children under 15 years old, except when deemed strictly necessary for specific medical needs. This has been in place since 2018.

The cost of the National Health Service phasing out the use of mercury amalgam fillings would vary depending on the timing of a phase out and other relevant factors, such as the price of alternative restorative materials.

The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including dentistry. This includes a recent systematic review of the environmental and health impacts of amalgam fillings and other restorative materials. This study has been completed, and the findings will be published in due course.