Pro-fluoride research has bite, say dentists
CAIRNS dentists have welcomed a renewed push from the Australian Medical Association for fluoride in Cairns water – but opponents are “livid” with the proposal.
Cairns Dental Group dentist Dr Daniel Baines noticed an instant difference in tooth decay levels when he came to work in Cairns from Brisbane 12 months ago.
“I think it’s the cheapest, most effective way to reduce dental decay en masse and it’s been proven very safe,” he said.
“Going from Brisbane, where you saw very low rates of dental decay, you saw the results of fluoride almost immediately. Coming to Cairns there was far more decay and occurring in kids at a far younger age.”
The Australian Medical Association will bring a motion to this week’s Local Government Association of Queensland Annual Conference in Brisbane calling for state and local governments to reach an agreement on water fluoridation.
A number of regional communities, including Cairns, voted to end the practice of putting fluoride in the water after the Newman government reversed the Water Fluoridation Act in 2012.
Australian Medical Association Queensland president Dr Dilip Dhupelia said local governments had the means to reintroduce fluoride.
“Cairns Regional Council dictated there wasn’t an overwhelming majority, which I don’t buy,” he said.
“Cairns already has the assets and infrastructure for fluoridation.”
Far Northern co-ordinator of Queenslanders for Safe Water Air and Food Bill Kilvert, who campaigned against fluoridation in Cairns back when it was compulsory, said he would be livid if it were reintroduced.
“When you swallow fluoride, it has a long-term effect on a lot of bodily parts,” he said.
“It can cause arthritis, upset the thyroid, it can make people lethargic and cause brain damage.”
Mr Kilvert, who bases his claims on American water fluoridation critic Paul Cornett, likened the long-term impact of fluoridation to taking aspirin every day.
Dr Dhupelia said the National Health and Medical Research Council had done extensive research disproving the alleged negative impacts of water fluoridation.