[Environmental problems in dentistry].

Abstract

The materials used to treat dental patients endanger the environment. The most important polluting materials are the heavy metals, in particular mercury. The sulphides are of lesser importance and the other chemically active and infected materials are almost harmless. The gathering and discharging of most of these materials, preferably by own initiative, does not pose any problems. The removal of amalgam from the sewage however, requires a specific apparatus.