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18 March 2007
Oral health data shows generational failure on fluoride in Queensland
A new report confirms (yet again) that generations of Queenslanders have suffered negative oral health consequences because of buck-passing on water fluoridation by successive governments abrogating their responsibilities on a proven public health policy.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report released yesterday confirmed the fluoride generation (born after 1970) had about half the level of decay that their parent’s generation had developed by the time they were young adults.
Queensland however remains largely unfluoridated and yesterday the Beattie Government was again ducking its responsibility, reportedly saying it wanted local councils to make the decision on what is a state health responsibility.
Australian Dental Association Queensland Branch fluoridation spokesman Dr Robert McCray said the most recent survey supports Australia’s National Oral Health Plan which places a priority on three population groups: the elderly, low income and disadvantaged groups and indigenous Australians.
“This is a social justice issue because successive Queensland Governments have neglected to introduce a simple and effective public health measure that would create better oral health across sectors of the community least-able to look after themselves,” Dr McCray said.
ADAQ supports a model of legislation that authorises the Queensland Health Minister, acting on the advice of a technically competent committee, to instruct local governments and other utilities controlling water supplies to fluoridate.
This model, which has been adopted by other states, is supported by the Royal Commission into Fluoridation of Public Water Supplies (undertaken by the Honourable Malcolm Peter Crisp in 1968) who said the Parliament should tell municipalities to fluoridate rather than saying they can if they want to.
Dr McCray said 95 percent of Queenslanders had no access to fluoridated water and treatment demand is ballooning, with about 100,000 Queenslanders (mostly from lower-socioeconomic communities) waiting up to seven years for treatment.
Dr McCray said the national oral health plan, Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives, Australia’s National Oral Health Plan 2004-13 recommended: “Extend fluoridation of public water supplies to communities across Australia with populations of 1000 or more.”
But nothing has changed in Queensland, with the State Government stalled in its current strategy of having local governments progress the issue with an offer of paying them the capital costs of fluoridation infrastructure – an offer which not one council has taken up.
Dr McCray said the Queensland Government needs to show some backbone and take the necessary steps to provide this public health measure to the majority of its citizens at the earliest opportunity.
Water fluoridation is supported by the Queensland Oral Health Alliance – which is made up of health professionals belonging to the Queensland branches of the Australian Medical Association, the Australian Dental Association, the Pharmaceutical Society and the Public Health Association Australia.
Contacts: Robert McCray on 0412 145 771.
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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