IJOMEH 2010;23(1) 47 ORIGINAL PAPERS International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health 2010;23(1):47 – 54 DOI 10.2478/v10001-010-0012-9 OBSERVANCE OF PROPER MERCURY HYGIENE PRACTICES BY JORDANIAN GENERAL DENTAL PRACTITIONERS FALEH A. SAWAIR 1 , YAZAN HASSONEH 1 , AHMED O. JAMLEH 2 , and MOHAMMAD AL-RABAB’AH 3 1 The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry 2 Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan Pulp Biology and Endodontics, Department of Restorative Sciences 3 The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan Department of Conservative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry Abstract Objectives: To assess the knowledge and observance of proper mercury hygiene and amalgam waste management (AWM) among Jordanian general dental practitioners (GDPs). Subjects and Methods: Interviews were conducted with randomly selected 250 Jordanian GDPs, using a specially designed questionnaire. Out of the total of 250 GDPs, 228 (91.2%) agreed to participate. The questionnaire covered aspects related to professional information and total amalgam contact (TAC) of these practitioners. The second part focused on the degree of awareness of the protocols related to mercury hygiene and safe AWM. Results: Mean TAC was 3.2±3.6 hours per week. Of the Jordanian practitioners, 22.6% reported no undergraduate training in amalgam safety measures. Almost a quarter of GDPs did not have proper ventilation in their clinics, around 20–25% did not use protective clothing or eye protection, 5.3% were mixing amalgam manually, and 13.9% used their bare fingers for inserting the freshly mixed amalgam. Most of unused amalgam ends up through the drain or in trash; there are no recycling facilities to be used. Conclusions: Most Jordanian GDPs do not strictly follow the mercury hygiene and AWM guidelines. Promoting the American Dental Association (ADA) guidelines through undergraduate and postgraduate training will help GDPs acquire proper attitude towards the proper hygiene practices described in these recommendations. Key words: Amalgam, Dentist, Mercury hygiene recommendations, Jordan Received: November 14, 2009. Accepted: January 15, 2010. Address reprint request to F.A. Sawair, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan (e-mail: sawair@ju.edu.jo). INTRODUCTION The use of amalgam as a direct restorative material dates back to A.D. 600 [1]. Starting from the 19th century, amal- gam has been widely used as a major filling material. Amal- gam has been described as the most complex metallurgical system to be used as a biomaterial; it contains a mixture of mercury with silver, tin, copper and zinc [2]. Mercury is a bio-accumulating heavy metal which comprises 50% by weight of dental amalgam [3,4]. Although there was a common belief among ancient civilizations that mercury has an excellent therapeutic potential, the practical appli- cations had catastrophic results, including early death of ancient Chinese emperors [5]. Mercury inhalation during the hat making process was also associated with the so- called “mad hatter” condition [6]. It is now known that elemental mercury and its products have toxic effects on plants, animals and humans [3]. Amalgam waste can be generated from amalgam abra- sion and from the placement and replacement of fillings. If amalgam waste is not managed properly, mercury can