Mercury Monitoring for Dental Staff

Until 2011 staff in dental practices throughout Scotland were invited at three- to four-yearly intervals to participate in a mercury monitoring service. In this scheme, dental staff were invited to supply a head hair sample and, if the mercury concentration was high, a more detailed screen including fingernail, toenail, pubic hair and urine samples was recommended. The data accumulated over the years of this service was reviewed in 2011⁸⁷. From 2006 to 2011, 1.1% of staff screened had a full mercury assessment carried out because of a raised head hair mercury. In all cases the cause of the raised head hair mercury was found to be due to external contamination with no cases of mercury exposure being identified. In view of these findings, invitations to participate in the mercury monitoring scheme stopped in 2011. However, if any dental staff have a concern about possible mercury exposure, the analytical service for mercury remains available.