REPORT FAVOURS FLUORIDATION

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33653, 1 October 1974, Page 1

REPORT FAVOURS FLUORIDATION

Fluoridation of Christchurch water would reduce the general level of dental decay at least 50 per cent, says the fluoridation report prepared for the Christchurch City Council by the Canterbury branch of the Royal Society.

The report says there would be no significant effect on the corrosive power of water, and no detrimental effect on general health. Fluorides are present in everything people eat and drink, the report says, and fluoride is an essential constituent of the basic material of bone and teeth. Concentrations in water of about one part per million are generally accepted as desirable for good development of bones and teeth. Christchurch water contains only 0.05 to 0.10 parts per million.

The administration of fluoride in tablets, milk, tooth-paste, or salt is not suitable or effective as a public health measure, the report says, and fluoridation of water supplies is the preferred method. However, fluoridation would not eliminate dental caries completely, nor would it have any noticeable effect on other dental diseases or disorders. Overseas studies Although it is understandable that people should express concern about possible ill-effects of fluoridation, says the report, studies in several countries have found no evidence that consumption of water fluoridated up to one part per million causes any adverse effects on the organs and tissues of the body. Fluoridation of Christ-

church water supplies would reduce dental decay, especially among younger people, without any detrimental effects. At present, the report says, 52.27 per cent of New Zealand’s total population is served by fluoridated water supplies.

The report was invited by the Christchurch City Council about a year ago, and was forwarded in March. The members of the committee which prepared it were Dr Lucy Moore, president of the society’s Canterbury branch (chairman), Mr A. F. R. Adams, of Lincoln College (soil and water science), Mr D. Barker, of the dental department at Christchurch Hospital (dental science), Dr W. B. Earl, of the University of Canterbury school of engineering (corrosion). Dr D. A. House, of the university’s chemistry department (water analysis), and Professor A. R. McGiven, of the Christchurch Clinical School (medical pathology).