Michael El
Since: Jun 2010
Posts: 1
It is Peter Dunne's tirade that is disgraceful - not the proper decision of the FNDC Councillors, who respected the wishes of their constituents, as prescribed by the Commission of Enquiry into Fluoridation in 1956. Fluoridation is not only a scientifically discredited policy, it poses a significant health threat to our people. By advocating fluoridation, Peter Dunne is in breach of the Health Act 1956.
It is time he learned the facts about this subject, instead of being a compliant puppet for those who want to trample over the rights of us all, and forcibly impose this nanny state tooth fairy of a policy.
Wake up and start acting with integrity Peter!
Ross
Since: Jun 2010
Posts: 1
Associate Minister of Health, Peter Dunne, has been very poorly advised on the nature of the polls of Far North citizens in Kaitaia and Kaikohe who rejected fluoridation of their community water supplies in spite of the most extensive and costly advertising campaign by Northland Health and their mobilization of dependent Maori health agencies to support it.
To say that those who opposed fluoridation as misguided is insulting and Dunne’s media release can only be described as an outrageous rave.
Evidence of the dental health benefit from fluoridation is very weak. Pro-fluoride US Centers for Disease Control admits that any benefit is from surface application to teeth and not from swallowing.
The exhaustive York Review concluded that benefit was far from massive, resultant surface damage to teeth was more than cosmetic, it did not reduce social inequalities and was not shown to be safe.
Two analyses of data from the 1986 US National Institute of Dental Research survey of nearly 40,000 children in 84 communities showed little or no difference in decay rates between fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities. The lowest rate was in a non-fluoridated area.
A 2007-2009 Statistics Canada survey of 5,000 young people in Ontario (75% fluoridated) and Quebec (6% fluoridated) showed that in the 6-11 age group Ontario children had 1.7 cavities compared to 1.76 in Quebec and in the 12-19 age group Ontario youths had 2.35 cavities compared to 2.79 in Quebec.
Given such insignificant differences, and even ignoring the associated health and ethical issues, why would ratepayers allow their district councils to waste scarce rates revenue on fluoridation.
There is nowhere that inflated claims for fluoridation are supported in peer-reviewed scientific or epidemiological research. The fluoridation policy of the Ministry of Health is obsolete.
The Far North got it right and the low response rate to the poll was immaterial - as it would be for Peter Dunne if the electors of Ohariu sent him back to parliament with a similar result.
Rachel
Since: Jun 2010
Posts: 1
Associate Miniter of Health Peter Dunne forgets that all the countries of continental Europe now no longer fluoridate their water, and in many countries you cannot purchase fluoride products.
Communities in Canada and the United States are recinding the fluoridation of their water supplies, as the wide-ranging detrimental health effects of the addition of industrially-derived fluoride to their water supplies is becoming increasingly evident in their populations.
Such negative health effects from over-exposure to fluoride include dental and skeletal fluorosis, hypo-thyroidism, lowered IQ, arthritis and alzheimers disease. The overwhelming evidence of these negative health effects is amply supported in numerous independent, peer-reviewed research studies published in recognised scientific and medical journals.
Recent scientific studies show that fluoride is only effective against tooth decay when topically applied, say through the use of fluoridated toothpaste, rather than via ingestion of fluoridated water. Why then does the Ministry of Health and Minister Dunne continue to promote water fluoridation as the panacea for tooth decay in our communities, if it has been shown through extensive research to be both an ineffective and unsafe process?
There is further considerable evidence that what makes the biggest difference to oral health is a diet low in processed sugars and acidic drinks such as soft drinks.
Minister Dunne and the Ministry of Health would better serve the health of the general public by putting resources currently invested into pushing outmoded, unwarranted and unsafe water fluoridation into educating people about appropriate diet and oral hygiene which supports good oral and overall health. In reality, both Minister Dunne and the Ministry of Health should be concerned more for the overall systemic health of all New Zealanders, not just whether they have a few tooth cavities or not. The human body does not just consist of teeth.
