Issued by: Department of Health
Pretoria - Tooth decay is the most common disease known to humankind. More than 90 out of every 100 South Africans experience some tooth decay by the time they reach adulthood.
Tooth decay is a preventable disease. Fluoride increase the resistance of the enamel of the teeth to attack by acid, formed from sugar in the diet and bacteria normally present in the mouth.
Correct safe level of fluoride in water is 1 part per 1 million parts of water. In some areas of South Africa there is less fluoride in water than the required amount due to imbalances. It has been scientifically proven that tooth decay can be reduced by up to 60% if 1 pat of fluoride is added to 1 million parts of water.
Today there are about 300 million people all over the world benefiting from community water fluoridation. A further 300 million people drink water which naturally has the correct amount of fluoride. Children will benefit the most but adults will also benefit from water fluoridation.
Water fluoridation of the public water supplies is the most efficient way to prevent tooth decay. The cost of adjusting the existing fluoride concentration in the water supply is about R1.00 per person, per year. It is 18 times cheaper than toothpastes, and 61 times cheaper than filling a tooth.
Fluoridation is an intervention that transcends the barriers of class and race and so will leave out the differences in dental health which normally separate those from better off and poorer backgrounds. Millions of South Africans can benefit from this primary preventive measure, especially the disadvantaged who have neither the access nor the resources to benefit from the commercially available fluoride alternatives.
Draft regulations on regulating the fluoridation of public water supplies have been approved by the Ministries of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Agriculture and Water and Forestry.
The Minister of Health has approved that these regulations be published int he Government Gazette for comments.
You are invited to send your substantiated comments within three months after the date of the publication of the regulations to the:
Director: Oral Health Department of Health Private Bag X828 Pretoria 0001 The publication date is 12 June 1998.
Lulu Sebake / Mini Vusani Phone: 012 - 312 0614/0621 Fax: 012 - 325 7814