As everybody knows, having good teeth is an asset. Good teeth make you look better, feel better and enable you to live a better quality of life.
People who live in all Australian capital cities, except Brisbane, have access to water fluoridation, which is internationally accepted by medical and dental authorities as being a safe, easy and effective way of providing oral health benefits.
When coupled with effective cleaning, good diet and regular dental visits good teeth for life become a reality.
Personal benefit
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.
People who grow up with access to water fluoridation are more likely to have good teeth and if you have good teeth then you have:
• freedom from the pain and suffering, cost and inconvenience of tooth decay
• cosmetic advantages of retaining your own teeth in good shape for life
• better self-esteem than those who have decaying, discoloured or missing teeth
• avoided potential speech development problems caused by missing teeth
• a full range of eating and chewing options
• not been exposed to the risks of dental abscesses or treatment under general anaesthetic
After a tooth has been “drilled and filled” due to the presence of decay, that incursion sets up a requirement for a lifetime of maintenance. Fillings are naturally subjected to stresses and strains and eventually fall out or need replacing, and that can be inconvenient (and at least temporarily unsightly), painful and potentially expensive because specialist expertise is required.
Decaying, discoloured and broken teeth are not a good look (click here).
Growing up with fluoridation and having the ongoing benefits of fluoridation into old age is a practice recommended by dentists and doctors, who are society’s accepted health experts in this field.
The only adverse effect of water fluoridation occasionally seen is dental fluorosis, a white mottling of teeth. Almost all dental fluorosis is mild, barely noticeable, and does not affect the condition of the teeth. Dental fluorosis severe enough to be an aesthetic concern is rare, and is associated with inappropriate use of toothpaste or fluoride supplements, not fluoridated water. It can be treated fairly easily and inexpensively. Claims of brittle, crumbling teeth requiring crowns or caps due to fluorosis from water fluoridation are false.
Oral health benefit
Water fluoridation provides a safe, easy and effective oral health advantage for everybody regardless of age, income, education level or access to dental care.
Comparisons in 5-12 year old children in all Australian states show Queensland (only 5 percent water fluoridated) had the highest rate of dental caries in 1999 (the most recent figures available).
Surveys repeatedly show that children living in fluoridated areas have less tooth decay than children living in non-fluoridated areas. Victorian surveys show six-year-old children in fluoridated areas have 45 percent less decay in baby teeth compared with those living in non-fluoridated areas and 12-year-olds have 38 percent less.
Dentists knwo that these differences become more marked as children pass through their teenage years and into adulthood.
Comparisons within Queensland show that Townsville (fluoridated) children aged 5-12 have a rate of tooth decay 45 percent less than children living in Brisbane (non-fluoridated).
A 2005 study of 973 Australian army recruits aged 17-51 showed that recruits with no exposure to water fluoridation had 36 percent more decay experience than recruits who had grown up with water fluoridation.
Water fluoridation provides a topical benefit for existing teeth and a foundation benefit for developing teeth, which has lifelong implications as more people retain more of their own teeth through their lifetime.
Cost benefit
A 2002 cost-benefit analysis found fluoridation returns $6-$20 in improved dental care for every $1 spent.
Research presented at the June 2006 International Association for Dental Research Conference in Brisbane reconfirmed this cost benefit.
The Victorian Government estimates that water fluoridation has saved that state more than $1 billion in the 30 years since it was introduced.
Some Queenslanders are waiting up to five years for checkups and general dental care. Public patients are having to queue outside government dental clinics to receive emergency dental treatment.
The State Government already is spending $132 million through Queensland Health on dental care but is not keeping up with demand.
The oral health of Queenslanders – young and old – will improve when water fluoridation is widely available.
General health benefit
Having decaying teeth and bacteria in the mouth affects your general health and wellbeing.
Much current research is discovering links between poor health, heart disease and diabetes.
By strengthening the teeth, fluoridation helps them to resist decay and all its unslightly, unpleasant and unhealthy consequences.
All of the information included on this web site is accurate to the best of knowledge of the Australian Dental Association (Queensland Branch). To make the text more readable for non-scientists, ADAQ has deliberately minimised attributions and links to supporting files or scientific attachments. However these sources are readily available if required and many can be found via www.health.qld.gov.au/fluoride. |
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Give Queenslanders something to smile about