Table 1. Strategic interventions aligned with the nine measures set out in Annex A Part II of the Minamata Convention⁴.

Strategic interventions	Corresponding measures, Annex A Part II
Waste management
Implementing a strategic approach to integrated chemicals management, one that combines infection-control measures, best management practices and an environmentally sound lifecycle management of dental amalgam waste and quality mercury-free dental materials waste	Measures ii, ix
Making the use of dental amalgam in an encapsulated form and amalgam separators mandatory	Measures viii, ix
Knowledge management
Carrying out a situation assessment and inventory of trade, supply, regulation and use of dental amalgam and quality mercury-free materials for dental restoration, to develop clear time-bound targets. The assessment will guide and inform a baseline against which progress in achieving the targets can and will be measured	Measures ii, iii
Developing and documenting good practice examples and demonstrating the feasibility of voluntary implementation of the phase down of the use of dental amalgam	Measures i, ii
Raising public awareness and supporting country-level communication strategies and programmes based on the results of the situation assessment and documentation of voluntary implementation	Measures i, ii, iii, viii, ix,
Health system strengthening as an integral part of an equitable and sustainable reduction of the use of dental amalgam
Integrating strategies to phase down dental amalgam as part of the policy of prevention and control of noncommunicable disease and addressing the social determinants of health	Measure i
Improving the affordability of mercury-free materials for dental restoration in the essential list of medicine, products and medical devices and equipment managed by the national and regional authority in charge of purchasing regional and national pharmaceuticals	Measure iii
Researching and developing quality, affordable and safe alternatives to dental amalgam whose waste can be controlled in an efficient and effective manner in all health-care settings	Measure iv
Reorientation of the oral health workforce education agenda towards greater social accountability, and of educational curricula to meet local community needs. Increasing national capacity of oral health professionals towards preventive and non-operative minimally invasive dental care by developing training materials and resources	Measures i, v
Encourage and support insurance companies to examine policy and programme options that favour a shift to quality mercury-free materials for dental restoration, including materials that re-mineralise tooth substance and inhibit dentine demineralisation	Measures vi, vii

^a The measures are explained in Box 1.