Disposal of an extracted tooth that contains an amalgam restoration is regulated as which type of waste?

• A. Hazardous Waste
• B. Infectious Waste
• C. Nonhazardous Waste
• D. Radioactive Waste

Answer: (A)

Mercury in dental amalgam makes the waste hazardous. Amalgam restorations release mercury, a toxic substance, so any waste containing amalgam—such as an extracted tooth with amalgam—is regulated as hazardous waste. This means it should be handled and disposed of through approved hazardous-waste channels, not regular trash or nonhazardous disposal streams.

Infectious waste would apply to materials contaminated with pathogens, which isn’t the primary concern with a tooth containing amalgam. Nonhazardous waste would be appropriate only if there were no hazardous components, and radioactive waste relates to radioactive materials, not mercury-containing amalgam. So the presence of mercury drives the classification as hazardous waste.