<< Back to other fluoridation news
Alliance turns up the heat on oral health inaction
21 January 2007
The vast majority of Queensland town and city water supplies are deficient in a naturally occurring mineral that has been identified by the World Health Organisation as being important for healthy teeth, according to the Queensland Oral Health Alliance.
The alliance said the recommended level of fluoride required to strengthen tooth enamel and make teeth more resistant to decay is available naturally in the water in towns such as Julia Creek, Longreach, Quilpie, St George, Winton, Cloncurry and Birdsville while it is added to the water in Townsville/Thuringowa, Dalby, Moranbah, Mareeba and Bamaga.
At a recent meeting, the alliance – made up of Queensland branches of the Australian Dental Association, the Australian Medical Association, the Pharmaceutical Society and the Public Health Association Australia – reviewed ongoing inadequacies of oral health care in this state.
ADAQ president Martin Webb said the Queensland Government in injecting $10 billion into Queensland Health but has allocated only $6 million of that for oral health when public sector waiting lists for treatment are up to seven years (eg Beenleigh has 5801 people waiting an average of 82 months for treatment).
“This is an appalling situation which is creating two kinds of citizens in this state - those that can seek out and provide good oral care for themselves, and those that are facing a lifetime of consequences for both oral and general health because they cannot access early treatment and decay prevention,” Dr Webb said.
The alliance said remedial actions required are: training more dental professionals (a Federal Government responsibility); facing commercial realities by paying public sector dental professionals at the same level as the private sector and ensuring that all Queenslanders have access to the known public health benefit of optimally fluoridated water (both State Government matters).
“The Queensland Health Minister Stephen Robertson continues to deflect responsibility for providing fluoridated water on to local governments when he should be pushing for the government to amend the legislation to allow for the chief health officer or an expert panel to take up the responsibility for such decision making,” Dr Webb said.
“His current strategy of offering to cover the infrastructure costs for local governments to provide optimally fluoridated water has been rejected outright by most councils and the LGAQ, with such a poor response from councils in the first 12 months of this policy, surely the government is not going to sit and wait for this dismal failure to become more obvious before taking further action.”
In a November 2006 statement, the WHO said: “Taking account of the scientific evidence … the experts reaffirmed the efficiency, cost effectiveness, and safety of the daily use of optimal fluoride.
They confirmed that universal access to fluoride for dental health is a part of the basic human right to health.”
Currently 95 percent of Queenslanders are being provided with water that is deficient in fluoride, a situation which the Queensland Oral Health Alliance believes the State Government can not indefinitely avoid if it is taking its health responsibilities seriously.
Chair of Australian Medical Association Queensland Council of General Practice Dr Mason Stevenson said: “This is not a political issue – this is about the health of every Queenslander and it should be a whole of government decision.”
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Queensland branch president Warren Blee said: “It is widely recognised in the community that an appropriate intake of vitamins and minerals is essential to maximise good health, and this applies to fluoride.
Like all such products, it is possible to underdose on fluoride – the vast majority of cases in Queensland – or overdose as occurs in rare instances. Queenslanders should consult their health professionals to identify the appropriate use of fluoride for all ages in their local area.”
Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) Queensland branch representative Leonie Short said: “The PHAA calls on the Queensland Government to provide strong leadership on this issue – leadership that would put in place a collaborative approach between communities, expert advisors and local and state governments to identify the most effective implementation strategy for this essential public health measure.
Queenslanders cannot afford to wait while the government lets this issue sit idle because of a failure to upset the minority who are opposed to water fluoridation.
The Premier has tackled difficult issues before, so let us hope he can step up to act on this one.”
For comment, contact Dr Martin Webb on 0412 781 137, Leonie Short on 0407 694 874, or Robert McCray on 0412 145 771.
Statement prepared by ADAQ media consultant Jane Milburn 0408 787 964.
21 January 2007
Water supplies that have sufficient natural fluoride for oral health benefit are: Adavale, Aramac, Barcaldine, Bedourie, Birdsville, Boulia, Cloncurry, Corfield, Eromanga, Eulo, Gonuna, Gilliat, Ilfracombe, Jandowae, Julia Creek, Karumba, Longreach, Maxwelton, McKinlay, Muckadilla, Muttaburra, Quilpie, St George, Tara, Thargomindah and Winton.
Water supplies that have fluoride added to water supplies by local councils: Townsville/Thuringowa, Moranbah, Mareeba, Dalby, Bamaga.
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. |
|
Give Queenslanders something to smile about