Arsthbt

There's a lot of talk on the internet that mercury amalgam fillings are toxic and should not be done. In the 20 years since my first cavity I've only received metals-free composite fillings. My current dentist informs me that composite fillings are qualitatively better, while disregarding the health concerns with amalgams. This has made me wonder, what percentage of fillings performed today are done with mercury amalgam? In other words, I have a suspicion that it is an increasingly irrelevant problem.

I've tried the basic Google searching for an answer, but results on the topic are obfuscated by reports concerning the percentage of mercury in fillings, rather than percentage amalgam fillings administered.

I did find:

According to the American Dental Association (ADA), more than 100 million silver-amalgam fillings are placed in American mouths each year.

...

As a sign of the times, in 1999, around 86 million composite restorations were placed in the United States, as against 71 million amalgam restorations.

• Is it the end of the road for dental amalgam? A critical review - Journal of Conservative Dentistry

I'd like something more current though. Plus, I don't know if the sum of those figures represents the total.

Data about the United states is preferred, but any data is accepted as useful.

Some recent estimated numbers recently were:

45% of all dental restorations world wide Heintze 2012),

50% of all American fillings

But

Many developed nations have virtually eliminated dental amalgam. Dental amalgam use is banned in Sweden and Norway; only used in 3% of all dental restorations in Japan and Finland; 5% in Denmark; 10% in the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany; and 20% in Singapore.

Quoted from Chicago Declaration to End Dental Industry Mercury Use (PDF)

amalgam use

WHO Policy Paper (PDF)

SD Heintze & V Rousson: "Clinical effectiveness of direct Class II restorations—a meta-analysis" J Adhes Dent. 2012; 14(5):407-431.

SK Makhija et al.: "Practitioner, patient and carious lesion characteristics associated with type of restorative material: findings from The Dental Practice-Based Research Network", J Am Dent Assoc. 2011; 142: 622-632.

Simececk et al.: "An evaluation of replacement rates for posterior resin-based composite and amalgam restorations in U.S. Navy and Marine recruits", J Am Dent Assoc. 2009; 140 (2): 207. PMID: 19188417

United States Food and Drug Administration: "About dental fillings: potential risks. Last updated 2 February 2017. FDA Web site

World Health Organization: "Future Use of Materials for Dental Restoration" (2011), PDF , p.21

Bio Intelligence Service/European Commission: "Review of the Community Strategy Concerning Mercury" (p.213-14), 4 October 2010, (PDF)

BIO Intelligence Service (2012): "Study on the potential for reducing mercury pollution from dental amalgam and batteries, Final report prepared for the European Commission-DG ENV", PDF, p.190–191.

World Health Organization: "Future Use of Materials for Dental Restoration" (2011), (PDF, p.21.

Letter, Federal Office for the Environment to Francesca Romana Orlando (8 August 2011), (PDF).

Commentary:

Dental mercury amalgam is also an environmental and social justice problem:
Dentistry Today 2018: Berlin Declaration Shows Amalgam Has Entered Its Twilight Era