Choice says evidence supports fluoridation

Consumer magazine Choice is supporting fluoridated drinking water. After examining the present evidence relating to fluoride, the March edition concludes that "at present the evidence is very strong that it's a safe and effective public health measure".

The three-page report says:
* There's solid scientific evidence that fluoride added to drinking water helps to protect teeth from decay
* The claims of those who oppose fluoridation are often based on outdated information, questionable research, and selectively picking studies that support their case
* There's no convincing evidence for harmful effects from fluoride at the levels used in our water supply.

Choice also looked at fluoride toothpaste. The magazine says that clinical trials have shown that while fluoride toothpaste definitely helps prevent tooth decay, it isn't as effective a public health measure as fluoridated drinking water.

National Oral Health Alliance lobbies Parliament

The largest and most representative oral health deputation ever seen in Australia descended on Canberra last Tuesday urging the Commonwealth Government to play a coordinating role and ensure that more resources are dedicated to public dental services and preventive programs.

The National Oral Health Alliance deputation of 85 people included representatives from 35 welfare, community and professional organisations.

Briefing sessions and presentations were delivered to the deputation by Health Minister Tony Abbott, Shadow Health Minister Nicola Roxon, and Senators Lyn Allison and Bob Brown from the Democrats and the Greens respectively. Members of the deputation then formed into teams to speak with many MPs from across the political spectrum.

The Alliance recommended these key 'solutions' to the oral health crisis affecting half of Australia's population:
1. The Commonwealth Government should ensure that all people on concession cards have a free basic course of dental care every two years. This preventive health measure would help improve the poor oral health of people on low incomes and lessen the number of tooth extractions and more expensive treatments needed.
2. The Commonwealth Government should provide funding for this initiative through the States and Territories, on the condition that the States and Territories:

• bring their own expenditure up to the new level of Commonwealth funding
• extend water fluoridation to all communities
• ensure that all children and eligible adults receive one course of general oral health care every two years, and ensure that no-one waits longer than 24 hours to receive emergency dental care for swelling, infection, bleeding or serious and persistent pain

3. The Commonwealth should conduct a full national review of the current oral health workforce.

Very favourable responses were provided by MPs representing Labor, the Democrats and the Greens. Mr Abbott was supportive of the third recommendation but declined to involve the Commonwealth Government in a new partnership with the States to address the urgent need for improved oral health measures.

VOHA will publish details of any further developments arising.

National Survey of Adult Oral Health highlights need for national action

An extensive survey by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has found that often disadvantaged people were three times more likely to have dental problems.

The report comments that the “pervasive nature of disadvantage is such that it calls for a range of interventions including efforts to tackle the root causes of disadvantage itself”.

The release of the survey – on Saturday at the Australian Dental Association’s (ADA) conference in Sydney – was timely, as representatives of a National Oral Health Alliance, which includes the Australian Council of Social Services and the ADA, will meet with the Federal Health Minister, Mr Abbott and other Parliamentarians, in Canberra tomorrow to discuss ways for disadvantaged people to see a dentist at least every two years.

The survey found that:

• One-in-four Australians have untreated tooth decay
• Dental care has remained “chronically under-funded” for the past decade
• About 50% of adults have only “irregular” visits to the dentist
• About The Federal Government spends almost as much on health insurance subsidies for private dental care ($438 million a year) as States spend in total on public dental services (about $500 million)
• Using 2002 figures on public dental care spending, there would only have been enough money to provide every eligible person with one session of basic preventative care every five years
• The introduction of fluoridated water and toothpaste had not “immunised” people born between 1967 and 1983 against decay.
• 20% said that cost had prevented them from having recommended dental treatment

The 2004-06 National Survey of Adult Oral Health was compiled after interviewing 14123 people aged 15 – 97 with 5505 people being dentally examined. The previous survey was conducted in 1987-88.

Today’s Sydney Morning Herald article 'Dental care is failing the needy', summarises the report.

Koori children face more decay

A five year study reported in the March 2007 edition of the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health shows that almost four out of every five Aboriginal children have decayed teeth or other oral health issues.

It showed that 78% of indigenous children under the age of 10 years have dental disease compared with only about 50% of other children.

Socio-economic disadvantage is considered the key factor in poor indigenous oral health.

VOHA has advocated the use of outreach services for Aboriginal communities, which are often located in regional areas. Our 2007 budget submission to the Victorian Government includes a specific proposal on this area of special need.

Waiting times - some better, some worse

The VOHA website has now updated all of the Victorian public dental waiting times in the light of new information published by the Department of Human Services in the last week.

The bad news for 11 out of the Unlucky 13 rural areas is that their waiting times have deteriorated over a period of nine months (September 2006 versus December 2005).

Patients on the lists at Moe and Churchill clinics have 66 months to wait for treatment, those at Sale will wait 63 months and those in Warrnambool 58 months.

Two rural clinics in the Unlucky 13 have improved. Ballarat patients now only have to wait 47 months (down 6 months) while Portland patients have halved their wait time from 66 months to 33 months.

The bad news for metropolitan areas is that waiting times for dentures deteriorated at seven of the Unliucky 13 Metropolitan clinics. Patients waiting at eight of those 13 clinics will not receive their new dentures for three years or more.

The Minister for Health, Bronwyn Pike, issued a media release about the new waiting times yesterday.