— A Skeptics View of The Townsville Report —

The Townsville Report was been used as part of a plan to justify

fluoridation of Queensland’s water supply.

See full original report below

at end of this post.

THE RESULTS OF TEN YEARS OF

FLUORIDATION

AT TOWNSVILLE AUSTRALIA

(Fluoridated on 2nd August, 1965)

The Effect on Caries Experience of Lifetime Residents.

by

W. Vidoroni, G.S. Sternberg and G.N. Davies

Division of Dental Services, Department of Health,

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, and Dental School,

University of Queensland, Turbot St, Brisbane, Australia.

“…Another feature of Townsville is the mobility of the population.

This is reflected by the fact that although 900 children were examined

only 317 or 35 per cent could be classified as lifetime residents.

Data on the remaining non-lifetime residents will be reported in a

separate paper.” – (Where is it?)

Townsville report – more criticisms

“In addition to assessing the dental caries experience of the children data

were collected on the following: fluorosis, idiopathic enamel opacities,

enamel hypoplasia, tetracycline staining, traumatic injuries to teeth,

oral mucosal disease, pathology of bone, dentofacial anomalies,

periodontal status (soft deposits, calculus, intense gingivitis), need for

periodontal treatment, prosthetic status, denture requirements,

conditions needing immediate attention and fillings and extractions

required for individual teeth.

These data will be reported in a subsequent publication”.

(Where is it?)

This additional data was promised but despite numerous telephone

requests to one of the authors of this report – W. Videroni however

none was ever provided.

Lost in this long list possible negative out comes,

is one of concern, Dental Fluorosis:

Dental fluorosis is not reversible and in more severe cases, causes

disfigurement, pitting, staining and positional defects.

Dental fluorosis is also associated with skeletal fluorosis.

Dental fluorosis is now the most common dental problem in Australia.

To use this research as a testament to the benefits of water

fluoridation is a breach of the ninth commandment —

( Exodus 20:16  ”Thou shalt not bear false witness.” )

Promotion by endorsement is not science,

and if the endorsement comes from vested interests,

it is probably commerce.

As can been seen from the newspaper cutting below,

Fluoridation of Townsville’s water supply

has not had the expected results:

TOWNSVILLE TEETH

Edition 1 -SAT 16 FEB 2008, Page 001
STATE PULLS PIN ON SCHOOL DENTIST CHAIR

Kicked in the teeth
By Jennifer O’Reilly

CHILDREN will no longer receive free dental care at school.
The Queensland Government has stopped offering treatment in its school dental vans because there is not enough staff to man them.
A letter sent out through schools this week says the vans would only examine students and provide a report to parents on the state of their teeth.
They will then have to seek treatment at private dental practices or take their chances with long public dental waiting lists.
“Due to expected demand for treatment you may have to wait for a while for an appointment for non-urgent treatment,” the letter said.
Queensland Parents and Citizens Association Northern Region president Mick Cutler said parents wanted to see the dental van visits saved.
“We would be disappointed but we also understand the reality of change,” Mr Cutler said.
“We’d hope they have the capacity to recruit more staff.
“When Queensland children have the highest rate of tooth decay in Australia of course we would like to see the dental vans continue.
“We also need to continue the education of our children on better eating habits that don’t contribute to (poor dental health).”
In the past all Queensland children from four years old to year 10 at school have been eligible for public sector oral health services.
The non-emergency dental treatment is provided at schools through dental clinics and dental vans on a rotational basis.
Parents sign a consent form allowing the dentists to check for cavities and put in fillings, if necessary.
In February 2006 the Townsville Bulletin reported annual free dental check-ups for students across the twin cities would be stretched out to every two years.
At the time a health spokeswoman blamed the wait on the twin cities’ population surge.
Leading dental researcher Dr Kerrod Hallett said he had been shocked by the sorry state of Townsville tots’ teeth on his last visit to the city.
Dr Hallett is trialling a new mouth guard, designed to stop tooth decay, at Vincent State School.
The paediatric dentist hopes the trial will stop young children from suffering the pain of tooth aches and rotting teeth.
“I examined 16 children on the first day,” he said.
“Out of those one had a healthy mouth.
“I was quite shocked myself.”
Caption: BRUSHED . . . children such as Annabella Schmid, 4, will no longer receive treatment through school dental vans
Illus: Photo
Library Heading: Health General
State Government
Health Local
Section: NEWS

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THE RESULTS OF TEN YEARS OF FLUORIDATION

AT TOWNSVILLE AUSTRALIA ORIGINAL REPORT

click here ↓

→  TOWNSVILLE_AFTER_10YRS ←

Administrator’s note:

Townsville has a RAAF Base with a transient population.