Letters to the editor: Positive alternatives to fluoridation

A positive alternative to fluoridation would be encouraging healthy dental practices, writes one reader. Photo / Getty GettyImages

Dawn Picken's enthusiasm for fluoridating the whole of New Zealand, as is the wish of our Ministry of Health, (Comment, March 27) is in my view supporting an authoritarian government, not the democracy we are supposed to be.

There are many alternatives that do not impinge on people's rights.

A positive alternative would be to ensure all schools had a programme teaching healthy eating, avoiding sugary foods and drinks and encouraging teeth brushing. Early childhood centres could have teeth brushing after food as a regular daily happening and parents could be involved. This would set up children with habits for life.

Many children with decayed teeth tend to have sugary drinks not water. The above practices would also help to reduce the high incidence of diabetes and obesity.

Joy Maskell
Lynmore

Let's look to the positive outcomes

James 1:2 tells us: ''Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience."

It would seem to me that roadworks are certainly a great contributor to the building of one's patience and Rotorua is currently blessed with a fantastic patience-growing curriculum.

I'm confident that at the end of it all we'll live in a city that has traffic flowing freely and populated by folks who give way at every intersection, help elderly people across the road, donate to the Red Cross and generally behave in the kind, thoughtful ways that our prime minister encourages.

Headlines on Friday, however, reflect the pain of the process with little reference to the pay-off.

We are all satisfied, only in the moment it seems, and we'd do well to look ahead. Sure, it's not too exciting to be held up constantly, and there is a cost to businesses but the cost would be far greater if the roads were left to deteriorate and restrict ready access permanently.

There are a lot of real injustices around us that should rankle, such as housing and homelessness, social disorder, abortion, race relations and so on, but so quickly the immediate destroys our peace.

Let's look to the positive outcomes and get upset only about the unrighteousness so prevalent and pervasive.

John Williams
Ngongotahā

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