This paper reviewed the slow but steady progress made worldwide to implement the provisions of the Minamata convention on mercury as agreed at the Conference of the parties (COP 3.0, 4.1, 4.2 and 5.0). We proposed a unique ‘leapfrogging’ strategy- update of oral health policy as a cost-effective strategy for African countries and other developing economies. This strategy could also be adopted by developed economies with underserved communities as well as developed economies who desire to safe costs. The cornerstones of this strategy include update of dental training institutions curricula, review of health insurance policies, integration of the principles of minimum intervention dentistry (MID) into oral health policies with an integration-prevention-promotion-partnerships (‘II-PPP’) framework with the WHO Basic Package for Oral Care. We hope this approach will enhance the speedy implementation of the children’s amendment particularly in Africa and other developing economies with poor infrastructure for managing waste.