Astralia - The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)

Council floats statement on Fluoride

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has released for community consultation a draft public statement on the addition of fluoride to public drinking water.

The Council made it clear the draft statement reaffirmed its support for fluoridating water supplies, which it said played a positive role in reducing tooth decay.

The NHMRC said that, following a thorough review of the evidence, it confirmed that adjusting the natural level of fluoride in drinking water supplies helped to reduce tooth decay for everyone.

“The benefits of community water fluoridation in reducing and preventing tooth decay are supported by over 60 years of research,” the NHMRC said.

NHMRC invites public comment

“The studies reviewed by NHMRC show that community water fluoridation reduces tooth decay by 26 to 44 per cent in children, teenagers and adults.”

It said community water fluoridation was seen as one of the top public health achievements and had been approved by major health organisations in Australia and internationally.

Chief Executive of the NHMRC, Professor Anne Kelso said the Council had found no reliable evidence that community water fluoridation at current Australian levels caused health problems.

“Studies implying harms from water fluoridation are largely from overseas countries that have much higher levels of fluoride than the levels used in Australia, and were done in ways which make their results scientifically unreliable,” Professor Kelso said.

She noted that, despite the backing of a substantial body of scientific evidence, about 10 per cent of the Australian population lived in areas without water fluoridation.

Consultation closes on 3 August and the Council’s 3-page statement can be accessed at this PS News link.

Submissions can be made at the NHMRC public consultation portal at this link.