|
School Dental Service data for the Lakes DHB area vividly reflect the benefits of water fluoridation in a district where all the major health agencies are struggling to improve the health of children and adults, with oral health as one of the key target areas.
No consistent measures of oral health are available for adults, but for children aged five and 12 the School Dental Service keeps annual records. In the Lakes Health District the two main population areas are Taupo/Turangi, where the water supplies are fluoridated, and Rotorua, where they are not.
The two areas are demographically similar and therefore offer a useful guide to the effects of fluoridation.
For the 2007-08 year, 41.7% of five-year-olds living in areas with fluoridated water had teeth that were free of dental caries. Only 33.3% of five-year-olds in unfluoridated areas were caries-free.
Year 8 pupils (11-12 year-olds) living in fluoridated areas had a mean number of 1.57 decayed, missing or filled teeth (DMFT), compared with 2.29 DMFT for those in unfluoridated areas.
School Dental Service data for the past five years is set out in the tables below. Note that the proportions vary from year to year for a number of reasons. For example, New Zealand as a whole and the Lakes Health District have comparatively high rates of internal migration, so there is considerable interchange of people between fluoridated and unfluoridated areas.
|
Percentage Caries Free at age 5 |
| |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
| Total |
29.12 |
43.7 |
32.6 |
36.5 |
35.6 |
| Fluoridated |
41.39 |
48 |
43.5 |
46.1 |
41.7 |
| Non-fluoridated |
25.45 |
41.6 |
27.8 |
32.8 |
33.3 |
|
Mean DMFT score at Year 8 (age 11-12) |
| |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
| Total |
1.97 |
1.91 |
1.95 |
1.79 |
2.1 |
| Fluoridated |
1.56 |
1.38 |
1.42 |
1.61 |
1.57 |
| Non-fluoridated |
2.13 |
2.08 |
2.23 |
1.86 |
2.29 |
The experience in the Lakes DHB area (shown in detail below) is reflected throughout the five district health boards that make up the Midland area – the figures consistently show better dental health and less disease in fluoridated areas over a long period. The benefits are very clear for all ethnicities.
Summary of Data: Dental Status Lakes District 2007
| |
|
Maori |
PI |
Other |
All ethnicities |
| 5-year-old-entire district |
% caries free |
20.4% |
28.0% |
50.1% |
35.6% |
| DMFT |
5.10 |
4.24 |
2.36 |
3.70 |
| Patient no. |
653 |
25 |
696 |
1374 |
| 5-year-old
non fluoridated |
% caries free |
19.6% |
27.8% |
47.3% |
33.3% |
| DMFT |
5.31 |
4.39 |
2.62 |
3.98 |
| Patient no. |
491 |
18 |
486 |
995 |
| 5-year-old
fluoridated |
% caries free |
22.8% |
28.6% |
56.7% |
41.7% |
| DMFT |
4.45 |
3.86 |
1.77 |
2.96 |
| Patient no. |
162 |
7 |
210 |
379
|
| Year 8
entire district |
% caries free |
25.5% |
35.3% |
48.5% |
37.6% |
| DMFT |
2.83 |
3.50 |
1.39 |
2.10 |
| Patient no. |
710 |
34 |
792 |
1536 |
| Year 8 non
fluoridated |
% caries free |
23.5% |
33.3% |
47.7% |
35.6% |
| DMFT |
2.94 |
4.08 |
1.57 |
2.29 |
| Patient no. |
557 |
24 |
558 |
1139 |
| Year 8
fluoridated |
% caries free |
32.7% |
40.0% |
50.4% |
43.3% |
| DMFT |
2.45 |
2.10 |
0.98 |
1.57 |
| Patient no. |
153 |
10 |
234 |
397 |
|
