A Review of the first edition, by Brian Franks, published in The Dentist, July/August issue 1992.

Mercury Exposure Hazards and Risk Management - a Manual for the Dental Practitioner by Steve Hewitt

"I must admit that when I was asked to review this book, I was not overcome with a sudden rush of enthusiastic excitement. The title Mercury Exposure Hazards and Risk Management doesn't exactly set the spine tingling and heaven knows we GDPs have enough reading material to get through.

To my surprise (and relief!) I found this short book (33 pages) very readable, interesting and even stimulating.

The book is the results of two years research into mercury toxicity in dentistry, and its management. While items on this topic are sometimes included in textbooks, there has not been a dedicated work published which covers the subject adequately.

The book is unique in that it offers the dentist the opportunity to review each aspect of his or her practice in terms of mercury exposure and to minimise this, using simple, practical advice.

However, it would seem prudent at this point to put into perspective the hazards of amalgam use when compared with other materials used in similar situations. The dangers of mercury exposure to dentists and surgery staff are well documented, but several reviews have found the health hazards to the patient of amalgam restorations to be negligible, with the exception of the occasional allergic reaction.

There seems to be insufficient evidence to support, on health grounds, the widespread removal of amalgam restorations and their replacement with alternative materials.

That being said, the value of the manual is that it increases our awareness of of the potential hazards of mercury, and how to prevent and minimise them. I found particularly useful the practice assessment questionnaire at the end of the manual, which enables each dentist to identify and to take positive action to counter sources of mercury contamination in his or her practice.

This manual is recommended as a valuable addition to our knowledge of how to reduce and prevent health hazards in the practice."