3 March 2020
Port Macquarie News
Reporter: Liz Langdale

A Port Macquarie dentist said major decisions such as whether to have a poll on water fluoridation should be made by people with scientific research and not anecdotal stories.

ADA NSW member Bruce Coleman has been practising dentistry for 40 years. He said before the introduction of water fluoridation there were 60 per cent of people over 60-years-old having full dentures.

Today, Dr Coleman said there are thousands of 18 to 50-year-olds who have no fillings at all. Dr Coleman said there are multiple benefits from having water fluoridation and there are no proven downsides which have been identified by experts.

There is no need for a poll, Dr Coleman said, as council takes direction from NSW Health. He said NSW Health has put large amounts of funding into researching fluoride to ensure it’s safe for the whole community.

Dr Coleman said if water fluoridation was taken away, it would have devastating consequences, particularly for people from lower socio-economic backgrounds, who have higher rates of tooth decay.
 

Read the Port Macquarie News article here
Read the ADA NSW position on water fluoridation here
Read FAQs on water fluoridation here