When I created the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry and we dove into the mercury treaty negotiations 15 years ago, our most formidable opponent was the World Health Organization (WHO). This powerful player was thick as thieves with the pro-mercury American Dental Association and World Dental Association, even approving of (I am not making this up) an increase in dental amalgam use in Africa.
We have come so far since then!
Instead of treating us as pariahs like the old days, WHO invited us to its global meeting on oral health last month in Bangkok. Working from the inside, we convinced WHO to adopt a provision in its “Bangkok Declaration on Oral Health” calling for the “phase out where feasible” of dental amalgam. Not quite a home run, but certainly a triple!
These battles take bulldog tenacity, a strategy to outwit the mercury lobby, and a global coalition working together – and support year-in and year-out from contributors like you!