"The number one reason children get admitted to hospital in New Zealand is to have their teeth taken out." Photo / NZH file
A public health advocate is adamant the sale of “sickness in the form of sugary drinks” needs to come to an end across New Zealand schools.
As World Oral Health Day is marked across the globe today, the New Zealand Dental Association is concerned the state of the country’s dental care is at a crisis point.
The association’s spokesperson Dr Rob Beaglehole said about 8500 children are getting admitted to hospitals every year to have their rotten teeth removed under general anaesthetic.
“We know that the number one reason children get admitted to hospital in New Zealand is to have their teeth taken out. That’s a shocking situation...and it’s getting worse,” Beaglehole said.
As the general election approaches in October, the association is continuing an ongoing push to ensure oral health as an area the Government will “sharpen their focus” on.
The association is reiterating there are two major ways tooth decay can be prevented - drinking fluoridated water and “turning the sugar tap off.
“We know the number one reason we get holes in our teeth is because we have a diet high in sugar and the number one source of sugar in the New Zealand diet from age 0 to 30 actually comes from sugary drinks,” Beaglehole said.
The association is calling on the Government to mandate a “water-only policy” on school premises - removing access to sugary drinks.
It warns sugary drinks are not only linked to obesity but the number one cause of preventable tooth decay in children.
Beaglehole said out of the 2500 schools across the country, about 80 percent of primary schools have a “water only” policy already in place, but only a small percentage of high schools.
“You can’t vape on school premises, you can’t drink alcohol on school premises. We don’t want kids being able to buy sickness in the form of sugary drinks”.
Beaglehole said he regularly hears from teachers struggling to teach children post-lunchtime, due to the consumption of sugary drinks.
“It’s also very difficult for teachers to keep kids who are high on sugar under control and in the classroom. So, a water-only policy has two benefits that benefits the health of kids, and it also benefits the educational outcomes.”
Last year, the Ministry of Education consulted on introducing a healthy drinks-only policy in primary schools.
Policy group manager Ben O’Meara said while there was significant support, submitters wanted it introduced into secondary schools as well, and Cabinet agreed further work is needed.
Most recent data collected by an Auckland University national survey in 2016 indicated 67.5 percent of primary and 23.3 percent of secondary schools offered only milk and water as beverage options.
It comes as stories have recently poured into the Herald, giving a snapshot of the painful oral conditions families are putting up with due to dental healthcare unaffordability.
Newly released figures by an Association of Salaried Medical Specialists-commissioned poll today shows seven in 10 Kiwis agree dental care should be free, as it is for children.
The dental association is further working with the Government to support local body councils in providing adequate fluoridation of town water supplies, and to make services more affordable.
It has welcomed a bill transferring control of water fluoridation from local councils to the director-general of health in 2021, but believes more work is to be done.
“We’re concerned about the pain and suffering because it is totally preventable.
“One of the best things the Government can do to ensure that we have better oral health is to make sure the entire New Zealand reticulated water supply is fluoridated,” Beaglehole said.
The dental association highlights half of New Zealand’s population isn’t drinking fluoridated water - and many local councils are not fluoridating at the right level.
Last year an Otago and Canterbury University study published on The Spinoff found local councils had been inadequately fluoridating the water supply for the past three decades.
Wellington Water also admitted fluoride had not been going into two of the region’s water treatment plants for months.
To address fluoridation, the association urges all councils in New Zealand to receive a letter from the Director-General of Health requesting water supplies are fluoridated to an adequate level.
It secondly wants an ongoing monitoring system, and for the Government to help with setting up costs for fluoridation plants.
Director-General of Health Dr Diana Sarfati said since the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 was passed, 14 local authorities have been directed to fluoridate.
She has written to a further 27 local authorities informing them she is actively considering a direction on whether to fluoridate.
The final tranche of authorities will be written to towards the end of the year, and they’re looking at getting all eligible water supplies fluoridated, the process underway, or the consideration completed by 2024.
Sarfati said they are working really hard to make sure they do get fluoridation across the country, and the change in the legislation allows them to take a more proactive approach.
It’s estimated if all eligible water supplies are fluoridated, between 80 to 85 per cent of the population’s water will be fluoridated.
Meanwhile, while it has taken years of advocating, dental grants for low-income families to increase from $300 to $1000 as part of Budget 2022.
Now, in a raft of proposals the dental association wants Government to increase funding for 18 to 25-year-old low-income adults.
President Dr Erin Collins said a person’s dental health or dental status at age 24-25 is a good indicator of what their dental health will be for life.
An October 2019 report outlined the total cost would depend on the service inclusions, but would reach up to $25 million annually.
“It’s a sensible idea to be targeting groups of people who are most in need...we will see both benefits to them as individuals so that they don’t have pain and suffering”.