Tap water better for teeth, say Australian dentists
24 October, 2000
Australian dentists agree with their New Zealand colleagues who have been quoted in recent media reports saying that they fear that an increasing number of children and teenagers are inadvertently cutting fluoride from their diet by replacing tap water with bottled and filtered varieties.
Auckland-based public health dentist Bob McKegg said that in New Zealand, there appeared to be an increase in the number of children with tooth decay from homes with water filters.
‘Many people, especially those in upper socio-economic areas, are using microfilters and then turning up with buckets of dental disease,’ he said.
The Australian Dental Association agrees — its key theme for the year 2000 Dental Health Week was, ‘Tap Water is Better for Teeth’. The ADA warns that people are turning back the clock on one of the greatest public health efforts when they drink bottled water in preference to tap water.
The ADA’s Dr John Bergman said that two-thirds of the Australian population has access to higher and more effective levels of fluoride because it is added to their water supply, yet many are unnecessarily missing out on its decay-preventing benefits.
‘In the first 10 years after its introduction in Australia, fluoridated water resulted in decay rates dropping by up to 60 per cent,’ said Dr Bergman.
‘Due to fluoride, today’s young people may never need a filling, but 30 years ago, the average teenager had 18 teeth either needing fillings, already filled or extracted due to decay, while two out of three older adults had lost all their teeth and wore dentures.
‘Today, tooth extraction due to decay is a rarity and most teenagers have only four or five teeth filled or affected by decay and the damage is often slight.’
‘Tooth decay is by far the most common and costly oral health problem in all age groups, yet it is one of the most simple to avoid,’ concluded Dr Bergman.
Last Reviewed: 24 October 2000
