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Report of the
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Oral health
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Report of the
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Oral health
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| Note: | Numbers and percentages concern population in towns with more than 1,000 inhabitants in NSW. |
| Source: | The NSW Health Water Unit and Centre for Oral Health Strategy Water Fluoridation Database, NSW Department of Health. |
Water fluoridation is the most cost-effective, equitable and safe means of providing protection from tooth decay (ADA, 2004; ARCPOH, 2006). In 2006, 9.7% of the total population in NSW did not have access to fluoridated community water supplies, or 8.6% of the population living in towns with more than 1,000 inhabitants.
In 2006, the North Coast Area Health Service has the largest proportion of the population (53.3% of those living in towns with more than 1,000 inhabitants) that do not have access to fluoridated community water supplies, followed by Greater Southern (20.4%) and Greater Western Area Health Services (13.3%).
Concerned local councils in the most affected health areas had either already voted for fluoridation or had been directed to fluoridate, and as a consequence the proportion of the population with no access to fluoridated community water supplies will decrease in 2007. Nevertheless, the North Coast Area Health Service will still have almost 20% of its population without access in 2007.
Overall, it is anticipated that by 2007, only 6.7% of the total population of NSW and 5.8% of the NSW population living in towns with more than 1,000 inhabitants will remain using unfluoridated community water supplies.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rates water fluoridation as one of 'Top 10 Public Health Measures of the Twentieth Century' alongside the eradication of poliomyelitis and smallpox (CDC, 1999). In the 1950's, prior to water fluoridation, dental caries levels in children in NSW were one of the highest in the world, with children aged 12 years having a mean of 9-10 decayed, missing and filled teeth (9-10 DMFT) (Barnard, 1956). In 2000, the results in NSW were the best in the developed countries at 0.73 DMFT (AIHW, 2003; OECD, 2006). This dramatic decline in dental caries has been attributed mainly to water fluoridation (70%), the use of fluoride toothpaste (26%) and to fluoride tablets (2%)(Spencer, 1986). Despite the availability of fluoride toothpaste, children living in unfluoridated areas have significantly higher dental decay rates than those living in fluoridated areas (Armfield, 2005).
| For more information: |
Australian Dental Association. Policy statement: Community oral health promotion. Fluoride use. ADA, 2004. Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health (ARCPOH), Dental School, The University of Adelaide, South Australia. The Use of Fluorides in Australia : Guidelines. Australian Dental Journal, 2006. 51: (2) 195-199. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fluoridation of drinking water to prevent dental caries. MMWR, 1999. 48(41): 933-40. Spencer AJ. Contribution of fluoride vehicles to change in caries severity in Australian adolescents. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol , 1986. 14:238-41. Armfield J. Public Water Fluoridation and Dental Health in New South Wales. Aust New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 2005. 29: 477-483 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Dental Statistics and Research Unit. Child Dental Health Survey. New South Wales 2000.. Adelaide: AIHW, 2003. Barnard PD. Dental survey of state schoolchildren in NSW. January 1954 - June 1955. Special Report Series No 8. National Health and Medical Research Council, 1956. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. OECD health data 2006. Paris: OECD, 2006. |
| Print version: | Although this page can be printed directly from your Web browser, a higher quality version of this entire page (graph, table and text) is available as an Acrobat PDF file which can be printed or viewed on screen using free software. |
| Downloadable files: | The data contained in the table on this page are available for download as a CSV file which can be imported into many software packages. The graph is available for download as an EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) file and as an EMF (Enhanced Metafile Format) file. Files in these formats can be imported into most word processing, presentation and graphics software packages. |
| Copyright notice: | This work is copyright NSW Department of Health, 2006. It may be reproduced in whole or in part, subject to the inclusion of an acknowledgement of the source. Commercial usage or sale is prohibited. |
| Suggested citation: | Population Health Division. The health of the people of New South Wales - Report of the Chief Health Officer. Sydney: NSW Department of Health. Available at: http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/public-health/chorep/ora/ora_fluopop_ahs.htm. Accessed (insert date of access). |
| Produced by: | Centre for Epidemiology and Research, Population Health Division, NSW Department of Health. |
| Last updated on: | 5 December 2006 |
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