Calls to reinstate Cairns community water fluoridation
AMA Queensland has urged Cairns Regional Council to reinstate community water fluoridation after members raised concerns about increasing prevalence and severity of oral disease.
AMA Queensland has urged Cairns Regional Council to reinstate community water fluoridation after members raised concerns about increasing prevalence and severity of oral disease.
Research unequivocally shows that poor childhood oral health leads to poor adult oral health. Likewise, our most disadvantaged groups, particularly First Nations Queenslanders and children, have a much higher risk of dental disease than that of other community populations.
Thankfully, water fluoridation is one of the easiest and most effective methods to decrease the prevalence and severity of oral disease across both child and adult populations. It is also supported by a robust and widely accepted body of research.
Despite this, Cairns Regional Council ceased water fluoridation in 2013 and the community have since not been afforded this important public health benefit. Doctors and dentists continue to be distressed by increasing rates of tooth decay and associated poor health outcomes, particularly among children. They are also concerned by the widening dental health gap between patients living in regions such as Cairns and those in South East Queensland.
