Sir, it must be 20 years almost to the day when, during an evening surgery, I treated a patient in the middle of her pregnancy using amalgam.

Unknown to me there had been an item on the BBC News that evening about the possible effect that mercury in amalgam can have on a foetus. The media had been informed about this but the profession had not been alerted. Consequently, when the patient returned home she was distraught that her baby could have been damaged.

The British Dental Association (BDA) were very apologetic that they had failed to inform the dentists and were incredibly supportive. Indeed Dianna Scarrott from the BDA travelled up to Nottingham the following day to speak personally with the family.

Given the amount of media publicity at that time it seems incredible that avoiding amalgam in pregnancy has moved from advice to becoming mandatory only now, 20 years on. Also it seems illogical, given the regulation, that women between the ages of 15 and when they have their babies can continue to have their teeth restored with amalgam.