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Fluoride
In June this year the Hamilton City Council decided to remove fluoride from the city water supply after 47 years. Due to low levels of natural fluoride in our water, fluoride has been added to our water supply to help reach the recommended level that provides protection against tooth decay. The Hamilton public will now have the chance to vote on whether or not they want fluoride in their water. The referendum will take place at the same time as the local government elections in October.
So what is fluoride?
Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that it is found in air, soil, plants, water and lots of foods. Fluoride in drinking water accounts for approximately one-quarter of the average daily intake in young children and approximately half of the total intake in adults.
The Argument For
The Ministry of Health and the Waikato District Health Board strongly support water fluoridation as a safe, effective and affordable way to prevent and reduce tooth decay across the whole population. Most tooth decay is preventable, and water fluoridation is a simple way to help prevent it. Fluoride helps to protect our teeth by making them more resistant to decay by strengthening the tooth surface and interfering with the growth of the bacteria which cause cavities.
Water fluoridation benefits everyone who has their own teeth, from children to older people, especially those most at risk of tooth decay. Putting it in the public water supply means everyone gets the benefit, not just those who can afford it. In an age where the foods eaten are increasingly sugary and unhealthy, fluoride is a simple way of combating some of the negative effects on the teeth by poor diet – especially with children who may not clean their teeth on a regular basis.
Fluoride in water does not replace using fluoridated toothpaste, regular brushing and dental care and lifestyle choices such as diet. They work together to provide the best protection for teeth. The levels of fluoride if you use toothpaste and fluoride in water are still well within the recommended fluoride limits.
The 2009 New Zealand Oral Health Survey found that only 65 per cent of New Zealand adults and 15 per cent of preschoolers brush their teeth twice a day with regular strength fluoride toothpaste, so putting
18 fluoride in the water supply makes sure everyone is covered and given some protection.
Scientific studies over 60 years have found water fluoridation to be very safe. It is supported by many international and local organisations including World Health Organisation, World Dental Federation, New Zealand Ministry of Health, NZ Maori Dental Association( Te Ao Marama), NZ Cancer Society, Plunket and many more.
The Argument Against
Fluoridation is a form of“ mass medication”. It is argued that water fluoridation uses the public water supply to deliver a drug to a person who has not given their consent for this. It is felt that with water fluoridation this right to informed consent is overridden.
Tooth decay in children is not caused by a lack of fluoride but by poor diet, sugary drinks and poor oral hygiene, i. e. the failure to brush teeth twice a day. Fluoride is the most effective when applied directly to teeth, through toothpaste or other means. It is felt that there are better ways of delivering fluoride than adding it to water. The most common alternative is having it clinically and carefully