Far North dentists urge rethink on fluoride

DENTISTS are getting behind the push to end a Far Northern tooth rot crisis as one Cairns practitioner tells of removing a complete set of decayed teeth in young patients every week.

Calls from the Australian Dental Association to bring back the fluoridation of Queensland water supplies was backed by the majority of Cairns Post readers taking part in an online poll.

A total of 61 per cent of readers said they wanted to see fluoride back in the Far North Queensland water supply.

Across the state, 150,000 children are waiting to see a dentist in the public health system and more than 27,500 people were hospitalised for dental conditions in 2015/16. Cairns is one of 19 local government areas across Queensland to not fluoridate water supplies.

Dentist Tom Meath has worked in Cairns as an intern and now works at Thursday Island as a qualified practitioner; he is supporter of adding fluoride to water supplies.

“I have seen a lot of tooth decay and a lot in kids, especially in remote areas where access is a lot poorer,” he said.

Dr Meath said Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk needed to take the lead on tooth decay and mandate councils add fluoride to water supplies.

The Australian Medical Association has been campaigning for the compulsory addition of fluoride to drinking water in a bid to improve the dental health of Queenslanders.

However, Ms Palaszczuk ruled out the move last week.

“I am in favour of the AMA directly speaking to councils to put their case to the councils,” she said.

Australian Medical Association Queensland president Dilip Dhupelia said the adverse health impacts of this decision were now coming to light.

“Some of the largest regional centres in Queensland removed fluoride from their drinking water, including Cairns … where dentists are now seeing extensive tooth decay among elderly people, resulting in the need for multiple extractions,” he said.