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Prime Minister confirms Qld in dark ages on non-fluoridated water
3 January 2007
New Year comments by Australian Prime Minister John Howard confirm the benefits of fluoridated water and reaffirm Queensland’s ongoing failure to provide this proven public health measure for most residents.
As Mr Howard laments the increase in tooth decay among (unfluoridated) bottled water consumers, it is just business as usual in the Smart State where this World Health Organisation-endorsed public health policy is available to only 5 percent of Queenslanders.
Queensland’s ongoing failure to provide water fluoridation has led to abysmal oral health statistics: For example, at Beenleigh there are 5800 people waiting an average of 82 months for dental treatment. At Logan there are 8200 people waiting an average of 66 months. At Southport there are 1900 people waiting an average of 64 months.
Two years ago a comprehensive national oral health plan, Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives, Australia’s National Oral Health Plan 2004-13 was endorsed by Australian Health Ministers with one of the recommended short-term actions being: “Extend fluoridation of public water supplies to communities across Australia with populations of 1000 or more.”
Nothing’s yet changed in Queensland, which is why medical health professional bodies - the state branches of the Australian Medical Association, the Australian Dental Association, the Pharmaceutical Society and the Public Health Association Australia – have formed the Queensland Oral Health Alliance to collectively champion water fluoridation.
ADAQ immediate past president and fluoridation spokesman Dr Robert McCray said the Queensland Government needs to get its act together and take the necessary steps to provide this public health measure to the majority of its citizens at the earliest opportunity.
The Courier-Mail (December 16-17) reported Local Government Association of Queensland President Paul Bell as saying the state should “bite the bullet and mandate fluoridation of water supplies statewide”.
“The ADAQ concurs completely with Mr Bell and it is to be hoped that 2007 is the year that will finally happen,” Dr McCray said.
“Public health is a State Government matter, and the State Government must do more than dangle a carrot (offering to pay capital costs as an incentive for local governments) and pass the buck to local authorities just because they manage the water supplies.
“Repeated polls, the latest being conducted by Central Queensland University, indicate three in four Queenslanders want water fluoridation.
“Health Minister Stephen Robertson supports water fluoridation and spoke out recently after depressing statistics in The Health of Queenslanders Report 2006 again showed Queenslanders have the worst teeth in the nation.
“This is a social justice issue that must be addressed. Queensland cannot afford the cost and consequences of not having fluoridated water on tap.”
For comment, contact Dr Robert McCray on 0412 145 771
for more information on water fluoridation.
Statement prepared by ADAQ media consultant Jane Milburn 0408 787 964.
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