‘There’s no conspiracy’: Cairns doctors attempt to debunk arguments against water fluoridation
Far North doctors have made the case for fluoridating Cairns Regional Council’s water supply in a tense ordinary meeting with dozens of anti-fluoride campaigners angrily rejecting their arguments.
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Far North doctors have made the case for fluoridating Cairns Regional Council’s water supply in a tense ordinary meeting, with dozens of anti-fluoride campaigners angrily rejecting their arguments.
The Cairns GP Group’s Drs Steven Salleras, Elizabeth Martin and Lisa Fraser provided a 15-minute deputation on the proposed public health measure on Wednesday morning with multiple security guards stationed inside the council’s chambers.
Together, the trio urged councillors to reintroduce the tooth-strengthening substance into the city’s water, arguing that a failure to do so would cause significant “physical, psychological and social suffering” for vulnerable residents.
“The disparity (in oral health) where I was trained in Brisbane to Cairns is just enormous,” Dr Fraser said.
“I feel terribly distressed by it.
“I have a responsibility and that’s why I’m here today. I can’t do my job, see the same thing every day and not feel the need to do something different.”
Around 70 residents packed the public gallery with several carrying anti-fluoride signs, interjecting and shouting over the GPs on multiple occasions during the presentation.
“Stop poisoning people,” one man shouted as Dr Salleras spoke.
Another yelled: “You’re lying too much.”
Studies showed that fluoride can reduce tooth decay by 26-40 per cent in children and adults with every dollar spent on fluoride in large communities yielding big savings for residents and health services.
“I see tooth decay in my patients every day,” Dr Fraser said.
“We see people needing medications, antibiotics, medical consultations, emergency department visits.
“We see aeromedical transfers from the north in the Cape to Cairns for procedures called full dental clearances.
“The solution isn’t to build more hospitals and make more theatres but to be really smart and use public health as we have in the past.”
Many of the arguments against fluoride had been disproven, Dr Salleras said.
“This is a nutrient, not a drug,” he said.
“Areas like Kowanyama and Julia Creek already have much higher levels of fluoride in their water than we would be advocating for in the Cairns water supply.
“Fluoride tablets don’t work. The Australian Dental Association does not recommend them as an alternative to fluoride supplemented drinking water.”
Poor oral health leads to increased rates of heart disease, stroke, lung disease, kidney disease and pregnancy complications, Dr Salleras said.
“There is no conspiracy … there’s no money to be made,” he said.
“This is purely out of concern for our people.
“This is about depriving people of simple effective prevention that substantially reduces suffering and illness.”
Division 5 councillor Rob Pyne sought approval from his colleagues to move a motion for the council to hold workshops considering the public health implications of adding fluoride to Cairns’ water supply.
He was unsuccessful.
Division 7 councillor Anna Middleton and Mayor Amy Eden voted in favour of allowing a debate on Mr Pyne’s motion while the rest of councillors objected.
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Originally published as ‘There’s no conspiracy’: Cairns doctors attempt to debunk arguments against water fluoridation
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