MARCH
POUTU-TE-RANGI 2022
Fluoride failure likely to impact most vulnerable by Louise Parry Eastbourne dentist David Excell is appalled at the news that much of Wellington region’s water has been without healthy levels of flouride for months, if not years. It’s unclear whether Eastbourne’s water supply is among those affected by Wellington Water's failure to fluoridate consistently at several of its water treatment plants for at least ten months. On its website, the company said Wainuiomata Treatment Plant is operating, but needs work. In a statement, Wellington Water said "The fluoride facilities at Waterloo and Wainuiomata remain operating. We are working to optimise these facilities, including ongoing maintenance work and a long-term project to design, procure and build new fluoridation facilities.” Eastbourne’s water supply is sourced mainly from the Wainuiomata plant, but is supplemented by the Gear Treatment Plant ??? in Petone Eastbourne or two days a month. The latter is one of several treatment plants that the company has said were either not dosed at all, or adequately with flouride over at least the past ten months. “The fluoride faculties at the Gear Island Water Treatment Plant were decommissioned in November 2021 due to structural concerns with the building. The fluoride dosing equipment at Gear Island is also aging and no longer meets acceptable performance standards," the statement continued. Flouride in water is a contentious issues for some people, who do not believe it should be added to their drinking water supplies, but for Dr Excell, a long-standing board member of the New Zealand Dental Association, there’s
David Excell.
no contention: it’s a public health issue. “Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but it’s a collective health responsibility for all. Lower socio-economic areas may not be able to afford decent toothpaste or toothbrushes, or to get access to dental therapy, “Dr Excell says. ”This is not about your own personal decision to fluoridate or not, it’s a wider health issue.” Flouride is naturally occurring in the environment, with some countries such as Jordan in the Middle East, having to treat water to reduce its concentration and bring it to a therapeutic level, which is between 0.8 and 1 parts per million litres. New Zealand, on the other hand, has water with lower flouride levels, so needs to add the element. “New Zealand water has been fluoridated since 1954. We know that by having flouride in the water at therapeutic levels, tooth decay decreases,” Dr Excell says. “It helps to prevent the pain and suffering caused from tooth decay, especially among more marginalised groups of our communities
because it reduces decay rates by between thirty and forty percent.” The consequences of no fluoridation will be seen in two to three years, Dr Excell believes. Oral health does not just affect the teeth, but has a huge impact on overall health. “It is just frankly unbelievable and shocking that community water fluoridation could have been turned off without anyone knowing. This will potentially harm hundreds of thousands of people living in the region, especially those on low incomes, and children,” he says. “It may be that the fluoridation of Eastbourne water has not been affected significantly, but the point is that we just don’t know. There needs to be an investigation to correct this huge mistake and going forward the community needs to be assured that there is ongoing monitoring and reporting so the public can be assured the correct level of flouride supplementation is being delivered to our drinking water.” Dr Excell says the NZDA is calling for all schools in the region to adopt a water only policy – no soft drinks in school – if they haven’t already done so. “While Wellington Water sorts out the issue I advise people to ensure they are brushing their teeth twice a day with fluoridated toothpaste and to cut down on sugar and sugary drinks in particular. And spit the toothpaste out, don’t rinse,” he says. USA Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in 2015 listed community water fluoridation as one of the top ten most important health measures of the 20th century Some toothpastes do not contain flouride, and NZDA has lobbied supermarkets to stop selling these.