 “The Premier's announcement heralds the dawning of a new era of better dental health for Queenslanders of all ages.”
John Wills,
Australian Dental Association
(Queensland Branch)
President
 “Water fluoridation simply means less drilling and filling of teeth.”
Robert McCray,
Australian Dental Association
(Queensland Branch)
Fluoridation spokesperson
|
History of Fluoridation in Queensland (PDF)
World Health Organisation supports the use of fluoride (PDF)
Latest news
Premier Bligh bites the bullet on water fluoridation
5 Dec 2007
Queenslanders will now have better oral health following today’s decision by the Premier Anna Bligh and Health Minister Stephen Robertson that the Queensland Government will take immediate steps to introduce fluoride to the state’s water supplies for communities over 1000 people. View full story.
(5 Jun 2007)
ADAQ Position Statement - Water Fluoridation in Queensland (PDF)
The oral health of Queenslanders is unacceptably poor compared with other Australians and tooth decay in this state is reaching epidemic proportions.
Having strong, cavity-free teeth is a lifelong privilege that is possible if you:
1. look after your teeth well
(brushing with a fluoride toothpaste, flossing and regular dental visits)
2. expose your teeth to a healthy diet
(minimise sugary and acidic food and drink)
3. live in a community that has access to water fluoridation
In every state of Australia there are people who look after their teeth and eat well – but not every state has equal access to water fluoridation.
Only 5 percent of Queenslanders have fluoridated drinking water on tap, whereas 75 percent of Australians living in all other states have benefited from water fluoridation for about three decades or more. This is why Queenslanders have the worst teeth in the nation.
Queensland dentists congratulate and applaude Premier Anna Bligh and Health Minister Stephen Robertson for their historic decision to introduce fluoridation.
Fluoridated water benefits people of all ages because it immediately acts to strengthen the outer surface of teeth – making teeth stronger and more resistant to decay.
Fluoride tablets only benefit the developing teeth of children and require a great deal of compliance. Brushing with fluoride toothpaste helps, but is not an alternative to water fluoridation. The maximum benefit comes from minute amounts of the fluoride ion washing over the teeth on a constant basis, as it does with fluoridated water.
The most recent National Oral Health Survey ranked Queenslanders last in every category on dental decay. View survey information (468kb PDF).The effect of water fluoridation is immediate and improved outcomes are measurable within two years. Read Armfield study (481kb PDF).
Lack of water fluoridation doesn’t cause tooth decay but its presence will help prevent decay. Logic dictates that prevention is better than cure and the World Health Organisation has stated that water fluoridation is the gold standard for delivering decay prevention across communities. www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/oralhealth/en/index2.html
Every year in Queensland, 2000 children aged under six and many more over that age require a general anaesthetic (with its associated risks) to have their teeth repaired or removed because of decay.
Although there are isolated and minority objections to water fluoridation, there is no medically or scientifically valid evidence to show any adverse health effects from optimal water fluoridation. This is despite it being one of the most investigated public health measures of all time.
Surveys conducted by the Local Government Association of Queensland in October 2005, which you can read more about here (PDF) and by Queensland Health in November 2004 found more than two-thirds of Queenslanders support fluoridation.
The optimal level of water fluoridation in Queensland is 0.6-0.7 parts per million fluoride which is added to community water supplies based on a strictly applied and regulated code of practice. The only communities in Queensland that currently adjust their supplies to provide fluoridated water for residents are Dalby, Mareeba, Moranbah, Townsville/Thuringowa and Bamaga.
Many smaller Queensland communities have levels of fluoride occurring naturally in their water sources which have benefited generations of local residents. A full list of these communities is available on the Queensland Health website.
The Australian Dental Association, and many other national and international health bodies including the Australian Medical Association, support water fluoridation as being safe, easy and effective. See some of the advocates here.
The Australian Dental Association believes decisions about water fluoridation should be based on sound scientific evidence, not emotion, politics or scaremongering.
