Hastings Reduction In Dental Decay

Press, Volume C, Issue 29609, 4 September 1961, Page 14

Hastings Reduction In Dental Decay

(N2. Press Association)

WELLINGTON, September 3.

Six years and a half of fluoridation in Hastings showed that children who had been drinking fluoridated water all their lives had a reduction of 74 per cent, in dental decay compared with 1954 base-line levels a possible world record in the reduction of dental decay resulting from the use of fluoridated water.

World Health Organisation delegates attending the 12th session of the Western Pacific regional committee meeting in Wellington were told this today by Colonel J. Ferris Fuller, Director of Dental Services for the New Zealand Armed Forces.

Delegates were visting the Lower Hutt fluoridation plant as part of the committee’s technical discussions on dental health. Colonel Fuller said that as far as he knew the Hastings study represented possibly the best results from fluoridated water of anywhere in the world. Chairman of technical discussions. he said that fluoridation was introduced at Hastings in 1953-54 when the water supply had a fluoride content of 0.1 parts a million. This was adjusted to a level of 1 part a million. Commenting on further results from this period of fluoridaition. he said that whereas 24.2 permanent teeth a 100 were decayed, missing or filled in 1954, only 6.3 were now affected. Seven-year-old children who had also benefited from fluoridated water for most of their lives had a reduction of 57 per cent., and eight-year-old children 48 per cent Children aged nine whose teeth were already calcified when fluoridation began. had a reduction of 32 per cent. As far as children completely free from dental decay were concerned, there was. in the case of five-year-

old children, a five-fold increase The same increase applied also to six-year-old children. Among children aged seven there was an eight-fold increase in immune children. Today was the first release of this evaluation study. "Startling Reductions” “Dental decay has been such a problem in this country. one that touches every household, that members of the public have almost resigned themselves to the belief that this is their lot.” said Colonel Fuller. "It is startling, therefore, to see these reductions taking place before our eyes and to realise that it can actually happen here.” Workers in the public health field the world over had accepted fluoridation as an established public health measure long past any experimental stage, doing no harm to anyone but a great good to many. Colonel Fuller said. It had been accepted by the World Health Organisation. and dental and medical associations the world over had endorsed it. Fluoridation demonstrated man's control through science of yet another preventive disease that had

been a source of pain and ili health through the ages. “But something else is demonstrated to us as well,” said Colonel Fuller. “In the highly-developed countries where the democratic processes have full play it is difficult to persuade a community to adopt a measure such as this, although it is to the ultimate benefit of themselves and future generations “The reasons for this are another story. In the final analysis the decision rests with the elected representatives of the people who are in office to make decisions on matters such as this after taking competent advice on the subject. Many elected representatives with a fear of the ballot box shirk this responsibility,” he said.