Fluoridation coming
Levin and O¯ hau treatment to begin next year
Some residents will be alarmed by this, but Horowhenua is not given a choice, the decision has been taken away from local councils. Horowhenua is one of 14 local authorities that have received a directive from the director-general of health under the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 to start fluoridating its drinking water supply by July 31. Council CEO Monique Davidson said the council is “obligated to abide by the directive”.
The act shifted decision-making on fluoridation from local authorities to the director-general of health. This change allows for a nationally consistent approach to community water fluoridation based on its wellestablished health benefits.
The estimated cost of introducing fluoridation for the Levin and O¯ hau drinking water supply is $1 million, with ongoing management and monitoring costs of $40,000 a year. Council has applied for funding from the Ministry of Health to install the technology needed to add fluoride to the water supply.
However, if council waits for the outcome of its funding application before installation, it will not meet its deadline of July 31. For planning and procurement to begin immediately, and to ensure council meets its requirements under the act, the Horowhenua District Council voted to amend its capital budget at its November 23 meeting to provide for fluoridation and work will start in early 2023.
Mayor Bernie Wanden said fluoridation was an important step in improving the oral health of the community. ‘‘Ultimately, this is a directive of government that we must abide by.”
Chief executive Monique Davidson said the direction from the ministry had come at a time when the sector was facing many changes — some local, some national. ‘‘Fluoridation is a contentious topic and there will likely be alternative views held by our community. Council is obligated to abide by the directive and it’s now time for us to deliver on that directive for our community. The only challenge we now have is ensuring we don’t have oral health inequities across our district in the future.”
The Health Ministry has provided the following data to back up the decision:
The Levin and Ohau ¯ water supply is situated within the previous MidCentral District Health Board area.
The 2020 data for children aged 0-12 in the MidCentral District Health Board area shows:
■ Overall, 42 per cent of children had experienced tooth decay at age 5;
■ On average, children at age 5 have 1.89 decayed, missing or filled primary teeth, and at school Year 8 have on average 1.10 decayed, missing or filled adult teeth;
■ Ma¯ori and Pacific children have significantly worse outcomes than other children within the MidCentral District Health Board area. For example, 59 per cent of Ma¯ori children had experienced decay at age 5 compared with 37 per cent for all other (non-Ma¯ori and non-Pacific) children.
The 2017-2020 New Zealand Health Survey results for Horowhenua District Council shows:
■ 67.5 per cent of adults (15+) had one or more teeth removed in their lifetime due to decay, an abscess, infection or gum disease;