NZ - Fluoride back on agenda
Fluoride back on agenda
By HEATHER McCRACKEN - Central Leader | Wednesday, 18 April 2007
Officials are pushing to put fluoride in Onehunga's water supply.
It's on a list of projects planned for the 2007-08 financial year that went before an Auckland District Health Board committee meeting on April 5.
Auckland region principal dental officer Sathananthan Kanagaratnam says the move would reduce the number of preschoolers with serious tooth decay.
Dr Kanagaratnam says dental therapists treat three-year-olds with decay and cavities in half their baby teeth.
He says 2005 school dental clinic figures showed five-year-olds who didn't drink fluoridated water had 8 percent more cavities and decay than those who did.
Onehunga's groundwater bore supply has never been fluoridated, and a 2001 postal survey showed 62 percent of residents wanted it to stay that way.
But Dr Kanagaratnam says there is no evidence of harmful effects except fluorosis, a mottling and pitting of the tooth enamel.
"Lots of people have looked at it from various angles. To date there's not one study clearly pointing out harmful effects," he says.
"I'm quite confident to say that it's perfectly all right to add fluoride."
Auckland city councillor John Hinchcliff says studies around the world have proven the chemical's toxic effects.
And in February he asked the council's works and services committee to stop adding fluoride to Auckland's water supply while experts considered the evidence.
"I did a lot of research and determined that it's a mistake, as most places around the world are beginning to realise," he says.
Dr Hinchcliff says fluorosis can be just as damaging for teeth as decay and cavities. Effective brushing and flossing has more impact on oral health than fluoride, he says. The committee rejected the proposal, which also asked for a city-wide referendum and warning signs on fluoride tablets, toothpaste and mouth rinses.
"There's enough evidence to say, `hold on a moment, let's think it through seriously'," Dr Hinchcliff says. "And I don't think we've done that."
The Central Leader made repeated attempts to get more information from the health board. Spokeswoman Fleur King says their position has not changed since chief medical officer David Sage told councillors in February there is no scientific controversy over fluoride. He said credible agencies in New Zealand and overseas support fluoridation as a safe and effective public health measure.
What do you think? Email a letter to: edcl@snl.co.nz.
To date there's not one study clearly pointing out harmful effects," he says. Really?
By HEATHER McCRACKEN - Central Leader | Wednesday, 18 April 2007
Officials are pushing to put fluoride in Onehunga's water supply.
It's on a list of projects planned for the 2007-08 financial year that went before an Auckland District Health Board committee meeting on April 5.
Auckland region principal dental officer Sathananthan Kanagaratnam says the move would reduce the number of preschoolers with serious tooth decay.
Dr Kanagaratnam says dental therapists treat three-year-olds with decay and cavities in half their baby teeth.
He says 2005 school dental clinic figures showed five-year-olds who didn't drink fluoridated water had 8 percent more cavities and decay than those who did.
Onehunga's groundwater bore supply has never been fluoridated, and a 2001 postal survey showed 62 percent of residents wanted it to stay that way.
But Dr Kanagaratnam says there is no evidence of harmful effects except fluorosis, a mottling and pitting of the tooth enamel.
"Lots of people have looked at it from various angles. To date there's not one study clearly pointing out harmful effects," he says.
"I'm quite confident to say that it's perfectly all right to add fluoride."
Auckland city councillor John Hinchcliff says studies around the world have proven the chemical's toxic effects.
And in February he asked the council's works and services committee to stop adding fluoride to Auckland's water supply while experts considered the evidence.
"I did a lot of research and determined that it's a mistake, as most places around the world are beginning to realise," he says.
Dr Hinchcliff says fluorosis can be just as damaging for teeth as decay and cavities. Effective brushing and flossing has more impact on oral health than fluoride, he says. The committee rejected the proposal, which also asked for a city-wide referendum and warning signs on fluoride tablets, toothpaste and mouth rinses.
"There's enough evidence to say, `hold on a moment, let's think it through seriously'," Dr Hinchcliff says. "And I don't think we've done that."
The Central Leader made repeated attempts to get more information from the health board. Spokeswoman Fleur King says their position has not changed since chief medical officer David Sage told councillors in February there is no scientific controversy over fluoride. He said credible agencies in New Zealand and overseas support fluoridation as a safe and effective public health measure.
What do you think? Email a letter to: edcl@snl.co.nz.
To date there's not one study clearly pointing out harmful effects," he says. Really?
posted by Bill at
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