Experts Advocate Fluoridated Water

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28825, 20 February 1959, Page 15

Experts Advocate Fluoridated Water

"Eventually, I am sure, fluoridation of public *** BU PPj£ wiolxs accepted,” said Dr. H. B. Turbott (Deputy Director-General of Health), opening ? gmpofliinn .at yesterday’s conference of the New Zsulnnd Institution of Engineers. "But before it is ge'must tell people of the benefits which win accrue and we must convince them that the silly tales they hear about the dangers of fluoridated water are latterday fairy tales.” He had no doubt at all that, from a medical point of view, fluoridation was a perfectly safe public health measure, said Dr. Turbott. They might have heard horrifying tales about the insidious and cumulative effects of fluoride as a poison. At a level of one part a million in the water supply, that was so much nonsense.

fluoridation was not carried out lor water purification but was a means ot benefiting the community at little trouble and cost by the partial prevention of Cental caries, said Mr R. P. Fish, eity engineer of Hastings, which ; Ims the only fluoridated municipal water supply in New Zealand. It was anticipated that numerous plants would be establiabed in the near future. The actual manner in which guoride might be added to a supply system would vary considerably according to the nature ot the system and each plant would probably require modification in detail; but it was essential to ensure that the rate of adding fluoride was accurately controlled and that a high standard of workmanship was obtained. The various engineering problems of fluoridation in order to obtain a fluoride content of one part a million were dealt with by Mr Fish. The fluoride content of public water supplies in New Zealand were low, ranging from .05 to .5 parts a million. Only seven were known to have a content in excess of .25 parts and of those six were in the Auckland province. The point of application of the fluoride was important to ensure the necessary control of the dose in the finished water. Fluoride could be added at the same point as chlorine was added, and also before base-exchange softening without loss. Devices for feeding fluoride accurately had generally been adapted from machines originally designed for feeding a variety ot chemicals in water treatment and industrial plants. Water sampling.for testing should be carried out daily at varying points to ensure the fluoride was being evenly distributed throughout the system in correct proportions. Choice of Fluoride /1 The choice of fluoride com- , pound was governed chiefly by availability, cost, solubility, and convenience of handling, said Mr Fish. The cheapest of all commercial fluorides was fluorspar. Hastings used sodium fluoride on account of its increased solubility. The capital cost of the Hastings plant, including the cost of altering a building for housing the solution tanks, was about £l2OO, said Mr Fish. The cost of operating the plant, which served a

population of about 25,000 was about Is a person a year. The plant had been easy to operate and except in very dry weather when water consumption varied within wide limits and pump output was affected to some extent, very uniform analysis results were achieved for fluoride content. Chemical Control Fluoridation was not the addition of fluorine to water but of fluoride ions, said Mr W J Wood, of the D.SJJI. Fluorine was one of the most reactive elements. It had similar properties to chlorine but being far more reactive could not be used as such. It was like the chloride in common salt and existed in solution in ionic form. “The addition of fluoride to water is a relatively simple matter, though it must be subject to rigid control and cannot be carried out by other than trained personnel.” said Mr Wood. Excess was not apparent and was not detected until the water was analysed. That >mphasised the care which had -to be exercised even in experienced hands. Careful measurement of the chemical added and adequate records of flow, etc., would prevent dangerous overdosage, but that had to be closely associated with chemical analysis. Engineers might ask themselves Is there a dental problem in New Zealand that warrants the installation of a measure such as this?” said Colonel J. F. Fuller (Director of Dental Services, Armed Forces). Under the compulsory military scheme, each recruit examined had on an , average 22 teeth which were decayed, missing or filled. If ; mobilisation occurred, no fewer i than 7 to 10 per cent, of them , would need the removal of all , their teeth before being fit for overseas service.

“A Losing Battle” Most significant was the' attack rate of dental decay in New Zealand at adolescence and the inability of the dental facilities to keep pace with it. The whole of the dental treatment resources were able to treat only five of the average seven newly-decayed tooth surfaces in a year. It was a losing battle. The picture was one of disease, not of health, and it was not a pretty one. If the same sinister area of infection were outside the body they would be alarmed; it was even worse

because it was inside. “The opponents of this measure say that dental health is a personal matter and that it can be controlled by the individual use of fluoride tablets,’’ said Colonel Fuller. “Surely this is a community problem if ever there was one. Personally, I think it is something like education. If education were not compulsory, some children would play hookey; others, because of their parents' disinterest would receive practically none at all. If tablets were the only means of administering fluoride, the majority of children would be denied its benefits, whereas all were entitled to a decent dental start in life; and, thanks to modern science and nature’s example, they had the means at their disposal of doing that. Overseas, young people of 2024 years, bom and bred in a high-fluoride area, would have on the average only five decayed, missing or filled teeth, a third would be entirely free from dental decay and the front teeth of all would be practically free of decay. Fluoridation was now an accepted public health measure in the United States, where in 1500 communities I 33,000,000 drank fluoridated ■ water.

It was both exciting and startling to. see dental decay being eliminated among Hastings children, said Colonel Fuller. The effect of only 27 months’ fluoridation was a reduction in the prevalence of dental decay among six-year-olds of 42 per cent., seven-year-olds of 38 per cent, and eight-year-olds 18 per cent. “We know that the child needs fluoride for not fewer than the first eight years of life to obtain full benefit.” he said, “but the results so closely parallel those observed overseas that we may expect to see eventually 60 per cent reduction in dental decay among New Zealand children. “Eventually as you watch those pumps send forth a protective water supply to the kitchen taps you should be conscious that you are watching man's control through science of yet another scourge that has been a source of pain and ill health through the