Tooth decay risk higher in towns without fluoride such as Heathcote

Dr Virginia Dickson-Swift, from the La Trobe Rural Health School, has led a study into the impact of a lack of water fluoridation.

The study, published in the Australian Journal of Rural Health, found one-third of Victorian rural towns with populations over 1000 do not have access to fluoridated water.

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This has led to these towns having higher than the Victorian average of preventable hospital admissions due to dental conditions in children aged zero to nine years.

More than 50 per cent of children aged zero to 12 years living in rural non-fluoridated regions had above-the-state average rates of decayed, missing and filled teeth and 78 per cent of children aged zero to five years had above-the-state average.

Dr Dickson-Swift said fluoride occurred naturally in Australian water supplies, however needed to be added to most places to help prevent or reduce tooth decay.

"Some towns don't add fluoride as it is already optimum and many Australian water suppliers adjust the amount of fluoride to a level that can help prevent tooth decay; the coverage in each jurisdiction varies," she said.

"Currently, on average around 90 per cent of Australian communities have access to fluoridated water; however, access for those outside major metropolitan areas can be much lower.

"Community-based water fluoridation is a cost-effective and equitable initiative that is supported by overwhelming scientific evidence and internationally recognised as one of the most successful public health interventions over the past 20 years, supported by groups like the World Health Organisation and the Australian Dental Association."

The state government is responsible for water fluoridation in Australia.

According to the state's health department, water fluoridation does not cause harmful effects and community water fluoridation is the most effective population-wide intervention to prevent tooth decay.

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In the City of Greater Bendigo, there is a community-led push for the fluoridation of Heathcote's water supply.

Oral health, including the promotion of fluoride, forms part of the City's Healthy Greater Bendigo 2021-25 plan.

In a council meeting last year, councillors unanimously voted to advocate for upgrades to the town's water, noting however the cost would be $920,000 and would have to be covered by the state government.

Public hospital Heathcote Health has continuously advocated the state government to upgrade the water supply, however it was not funded in the 2022-23 state budget.

Heathcote is one of the most disadvantaged areas in Greater Bendigo according to the Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas.

Heathcote Health was contacted for comment.

Dr Dickson-Swift said the benefits of fluoridation outweighed the costs.

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According to her study, every dollar spent on fluoridation saved between $7 and $18 due to avoidance of treatment costs while recent analyses showed water fluoridation in Victoria saved around $1 billion over a 25-year period through avoided costs from dental treatment and days absent from work or school.

It particularly benefits children and those on lower incomes who tend to have higher rates of tooth decay and less access to dental treatment and other forms of fluoride, however there are population-wide benefits, according to the research.

The health department's action plan to prevent oral disease aims to improve access to either fluoridated water or topical fluorides by 2030.

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