Amalgam phase down: baseline data preceding implementation in Nigeria.

Objective: The Minimata Convention on mercury includes amalgam phase-down and eventual phase-out from dentistry. To aid its subsequent evaluation it is important to have baseline data of amalgam use in a locality prior to implementing a phase-down.

Methodology: Records of patients spanning 5 years from January 2011 to January 2016 were analysed to determine and the compare frequency of amalgam usage with other dental materials for carious teeth restorations in a Nigerian university teaching hospital.