Australia - LETTER: History doesn't seem to support fluoridation

RECENTLY, I have been hearing about more and more people affected by the fluoride in our water supply.
Gladstone has been fluoridated since 2010.
The Newman government changed this law and gave councils the choice to fluoridate or not, and almost 30 councils have opted to no longer fluoridate, but Gladstone's Mayor and four councillors refuse to join them.
Theory-wise, fluoride in the water should reduce the need for dentists and allied health workers.
Townsville was the first city in Queensland to fluoridate in 1965.
In 2008 in Townsville, Dr Hallett a leading dental researcher, found that only one out of 16 children he examined the first day at a local school had a healthy mouth even though they had had fluoride all of their lives.
This was proof that fluoride in the water supply does not fix the health of the teeth.
At the present time, the need for dental and medical services is out of control, suggesting that fluoride does not only affect teeth, but it is detrimental to the population's health as a whole.
There is ample research and evidence to support this, especially all forms of cancer (goitre, liver, kidneys) Down's Syndrome, mental problems and cot deaths.
Every cell in our body needs enzymes comprising a protein, a vitamin and an ion of trace elements to function properly.
Fluoride is a vitamin antagonist and has a great affinity for magnesium and manganese ions, which enables it to deplete their availability for vital enzyme function.
It destroys our immune system, allowing health problems to flourish.
For fluoride to do anything for the teeth it has to be applied topically.
Barb Smith, Gladstone