“ Basically parents should still try to get fluoride onto their children’ s teeth.”
What we have lost with the cessation of Community Water Fluoridation( CWF) is the regular rinsing of the teeth with low dose fluoride as we drink.”
“ A way to substitute for this is to dissolve a fluoride tablet in a litre of water which you can keep in the fridge for drinking water. Unfortunately this does involve a cost to the household and extra effort.”
Dr. Assil Russell, River Road Dental:“ Basically parents should still try to get fluoride onto their children’ s teeth. There are several ways they can do this.”
“ Basically parents should still try to get fluoride onto their children’ s teeth.”
prescribed by a doctor or buying toothpaste.
Fluoridating the water is seen as wasteful, of the 224 litres of water used by the average person each day less than two litres is used for drinking, 99 % of the water goes down the drain. The Hamilton City Council spends $ 48,000 per year to fluoridate the water in Hamilton, and it is argued that only 1 % of that or $ 480 is actually used effectively. Communities around the world are rejecting the practice – most of Europe does not fluoridate.
There is strong evidence that fluoride should not be ingested at all by babies under six months old and bottle fed babies are therefore at greater potential risk. Fluoridated water contains 200 times more fluoride than breast milk highlighting that babies get the highest dosage of fluoride among all ages of population due to their body size. Submitters also comment that hydrofluoric acid is a toxic substance and is not a food grade and that there is no scientific basis to suggest that 0.7mg / day is safe for infants.
What do I do now?
I asked for advice for parents that were worried about the removal of fluoride from the water.
Felicity Dumble, Medical Officer of Health, Waikato DHB.“ We continue to promote twice daily tooth brushing with fluoride toothpaste, regular dental checks and a good diet avoiding excessive sugar as we have always done.
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“ It’ s important that teeth are brushed with fluoridated toothpaste. Also 6 monthly check ups and regular application of in chair topical fluorides( fluoride varnishes or trays) are also a good idea. Care should be taken when using fluoride tablets to ensure they are used correctly and the dose is age appropriate.”
More info...
Visit the following websites:
▶ Hamilton City Council
▶ Waikato District Health Board
▶ Ministry of Health