Election Results - VOHA Comments

Comments on the impact of State Election results on dental services appear on the Victorian Oral Health Alliance Blog.

WHO report on fluoride in drinking water

The World Health Organisation has published a new report aimed at helping communities with an excess of naturally occurring fluoride in their water supplies to avoid health problems.

The report emphasises that "low concentrations are good for teeth, but excessive concentrations can lead to debilitating disease, such as skeletal fluorosis, which has devastated some communities". It notes that "in China alone, more than 10 million people are estimated to suffer from skeletal fluorosis".

Fluoride in bottled water delayed

The November edition of Food and Drink Business magazine reports that the application by the Australian Beverages Council (ABCL) and Australasian Bottled Water Institute for Food Standards ANZ (FSANZ) approval to add fluoride to certain bottled waters may now take up to five years.

This delay arises from the FSANZ deciding that the application would incur a fee of $91,000 for what it says is a Category 5 application - that could take from 651-1050 hours to complete. Since most beverage companies could not afford such a fee, the matter will now be handled as part of the FSANZ's general work program and could take up to five years to complete.

In other news related to the beverage industry, their commitment to use standard labelling of beverages to help parents and children to understand the proportion of daily energy intake each serve represents is a welcome development. For more information about this, visit the ABCL website.

Health Minister urges soft drink limits

Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott is reported in the Sydney Morning Herald today commenting that soft drink is "spoiled water", and uging parents to only provide it to their children for an occasional treat rather than as part of their daily diet.

This position recognises the enormous damage to children's health caused by overconsumption of highly acidic soft drinks. While the remarks were targetted at obesity and diabetes issues primarily, they also support the dental benefits of a more balanced diet - as did the recent Victorian Government announcements about school canteen policies.

Man dies from infected tooth

South Australian Coroner Mark Johns has reminded people "that it is most unwise to continue to ignore signs of dental infection over a prolonged period". His warning was included in his finding.

Mr Salmon had visited the QEH's emergency department on May 26 2002 complaining of toothache. Staff give him pain killers and referred him to the RAH Dental Hospital. He returned to the QEH in June and July with ongoing pain, telling staff he had been booked for public dental surgery but no appointment had been made. Mr Salmon had the infected tooth removed by the private practice dentist two days before his death. Mr Marks said he did not know why earlier appointments arranged at the RAH dental clinic did not result in the extraction of the tooth and why it was ultimately extracted by a private practice dentists.

The following day Mr Salmon's face and neck became swollen and he was taken to the QEH by his mother, Mrs Dianne Mustard, where medical staff diagnosed Ludwig's angina. The following day Mrs Mustard returned to the QEH and was asked if she could drive her son to the RAH "because ambulances were being reserved for emergencies". She was not given his medical notes to take to the Royal Adelaide Hospital

Emergency surgery was performed on Mr Salmon within hours of his arrival but he died a short time later.

Mr Marks called on the QEH to ensure that patients being transferred - whether by ambulance or private vehicle - were accompanied by their medical documents.

ADAVB welcomes new ALP rural plan

The Branch issued a media release late on Monday 5 November welcoming the announcement by Premier Steve Bracks that if re-elected to Government the Labor Party would establish a BDSc course at the Bendigo campus of LaTrobe University, and create a number of new regional training chairs in Wodonga, Mildura and Melton.

These measures were recognised as constructively addressing the maldistribution of the dental workforce, and targetting the treatment needs of public patients in areas with long dental waiting lists.

Interviews with Branch President Dr Greg Morris followed on the Channel 7 News and on ABC radio in Gippsland.