Page 1503 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 27 September 1989
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
MR WOOD: Well, it might be anything to get out of a class, but I know in my day I had to be pushed to go to the dentist.
Mrs Grassby: I still need to be pushed.
MR WOOD: You still do? So there is something there that has changed. I have been very emphatic about the care of my own children's teeth and with good result, because when they were young, in that formative age that was mentioned, I was meticulous with them. When they got to the teenage years one of my children in particular, without that close supervision, was less meticulous. But off he went to the dentist the other day and he has, quite undeservedly I think, a perfect set of teeth. That is due to fluoride.
Mr Moore made some comment about changed lifestyles, changed dietary habits which, he expects, have brought about this great change. Well, I do not know; I go to the supermarket and I see shelf upon shelf of Coca-Cola, teeth rottener. It is there. That has increased dramatically. The range of soft drinks has increased; there is no question about that. By coincidence, only the other day there was a report in the news - I have not seen the data behind it - that we are eating just as much in the way of sweets as we ever did. So what changed dietary patterns is the member talking about?
Mr Prowse: Fruit, vegetables and no dripping and bread.
MR WOOD: Yes, that is fine, but we are still consuming the same amount of sweets and, I would expect, much more in the way of teeth rottener in soft drinks. But this is anecdotal, and it is easy to give anecdotal evidence. Let us look at the heavy research that is around the place, and there is no small amount of that. Let us look at research that is objective, that is reputable, that deserves a high standing. Let us look at a rather conservative but meticulous and very thorough body such as the group we have been quoting from, the National Health and Medical Research Council. This is a most reputable body, undenied, and indeed one that is fairly and properly cautious about its findings. That body has kept a continuing overview of the use of fluorides in the control of dental caries and claims of associated health issues.
Mr Humphries referred to its summary of a very comprehensive review. I want to quote that in detail, if I may, because I think it ought to be written in full into Hansard. I quote from this report.
Mr Prowse: What page?
MR WOOD: Page 20, Mr Prowse. It was published by the Australian Government Publishing Service in 1985. It is the report of the working party on fluorides in the control of dental caries. It says:
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .