Maine Revised Statutes, Title 32, § 18391: Amalgam brochures; posters, 2015

1. Brochure; poster. The Director of the Bureau of Health within the Department of Health and Human Services shall develop a brochure that explains the potential advantages and disadvantages to oral health, overall human health and the environment of using mercury or mercury amalgam in dental procedures. The brochure must describe what alternatives are available to mercury amalgam in various dental procedures and what potential advantages and disadvantages are posed by the use of those alternatives. The brochure may also include other information that contributes to the patient's ability to make an informed decision when choosing between the use of mercury amalgam or an alternative material in a dental procedure, including, but not limited to, information on the durability, cost, aesthetic quality or other characteristics of the mercury amalgam and alternative materials. The director shall also develop a poster that informs patients of the availability of the brochure. The Director of the Bureau of Health shall, in consultation with the Department of Environmental Protection, adopt the brochure and the poster described in this subsection through major substantive rules pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2‑A. [PL 2015, c. 429, §21 (NEW).] 2. Display. A dentist who uses mercury or a mercury amalgam in any dental procedure shall display the poster adopted by the Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Health under this section in the public waiting area of the practice setting and shall provide each patient a copy of the brochure adopted by the bureau under this section. The Department of Health and Human Services shall also post on its publicly accessible website a copy of the brochure that is suitable for downloading and printing by dentists, patients and other interested parties. [PL 2015, c. 429, §21 (NEW).]