Dental clinics Yes – back-door lobbying No

Health advocacy group Fluoride Action Network commends the construction of effective dental treatment facilities in Southland. “Dental care standards have waned woefully over recent decades. This initiative begins to restore our oral health care to the shining example it once was,” says spokesperson Mark Atkin.

“It is sad, however, to hear puppet Minister Peter Dunne continuing to flog the dead horse of water fluoridation.” Most councils in NZ, and most countries in the world, do not fluoridate their water.

“Tooth decay rates are at the same low level with or without fluoridation. This is shown by Ministry of Health national figures,” points out Mr Atkin.

In fact Ministry of Health figures show that tooth decay has been declining in unfluoridated areas, but increasing in fluoridated areas, over the last few years.

“Contrary to Mr. Dunne’s claim, the 2009 Oral Health Survey did not prove anything about fluoridation. In fact, the Ministry cannot provide a single piece of original scientific data from this Survey. The Survey was just a propaganda piece, rehashing old unreliable claims. The claim of 70% benefit is just not credible - even the most ardent overseas promoters do not pretend it is anything like this,” notes Mr Atkin.

“Reference to “massive decay ‘craters’” in teeth is a standard tear-jerking tactic. Why do the unfluoridated parts of Wellington and Auckland have less decay than the fluoridated parts? Where are the “craters”?, Mr Atkin asks, pointing out “No amount of fluoride can help this – it is just poor oral hygiene.”

“If the Government wants to improve oral health, it should use the $1.25 million allocated for a “back-door lobbying” group, co-ordinated by Wellington Regional Public Health, and build more clinics with it. That would make a real difference, instead of adding more toxic industrial waste to the public water supply in the pretense it reduces tooth decay,” Mr Atkin concludes.