The ban on mercury in medical practice is being phased out in Europe,(thermometres,barometers etc...)I was searching the european parliament website recently.They plan to have it phased out by 2010.
I feel confident (sounding like a politition)that the ban of dental amalgam will follow suit.They will just use up what they have left and then it will no longer be used...(little consolation to us already poisoned)
The fact they are acknowledging it's harmful in the first place is a good start.
I saw dvd of Doctors environmental association ,they did a study of hair mercury levels from people all across Europe,
the Spanish/people living in Spain had almost doubly high levels...that reminded me of something else I read on Eur.Parliament website.
There are mercury mines in Spain.
Excuse my ignorance if you knew this already.
They have only stopped using them,within the last 5/10 years...I can't remember exactly.Maybe they are still using them?
(I need to check my notes for exact info.)

There will never be an admissision of wrongdoing by the dental assosiations; but I predict at some point the use of amalgam will be phased out completely.

I do not believe that dentists actually know they are causing people any harm,but it does NOT inspire confidence in their
intelligence/commen sense/competence of them as health care practitioners,if they have not figured it out for themselves.
(I wonder how many of them who use amalgam ,have a doubt somewhere in their minds but continue anyway)