Residents won't see the after effects of not having fluoride in their water until years after it returns, a dental expert has confirmed.
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By the time residents have fluoride back in their water, they will have gone without it for more than half a decade.
Residents of Dubbo have not had fluoride in their water since January 2019 when the city's fluoridation equipment failed and remained offline until it was brought to the attention of the new Chief Executive Officer in April 2022.
Towns affected by the lack of fluoridation included Dubbo, Wongarbon, Eumungerie, Ballimore, Mogriguy and Brocklehurst.
The council initially aimed to reintroduce fluoride into the water supply by June 2023. However, in collaboration with NSW Public Works, DPE Water and NSW Health it became evident that the project was more complex and time-consuming than initially estimated.
The targeted completion date is now set for the end of April 2024.
The grave oversight poses a significant threat to the dental health of both children and adults.
Associate Professor Matt Hopcraft, an expert on oral health, has shed light on the indispensable role fluoridation plays in town water supplies.
"Fluoride is a safe and effective way of helping to prevent tooth decay - a disease that affects one in three Australian children by the age of five to six years, and is the leading cause of preventable hospitalisation in Australian children," he said.
The most distressing consequence of this negligence is the potential harm inflicted on children's dental development and overall oral health.
Professor Hopcraft said that numerous children who are now in the crucial age range of six to seven years, when adult teeth begin to emerge, have missed out on the protective effects of water fluoridation.
Moreover, children between the ages of six and seven and 13 to 14, when most adult teeth appear, have also been deprived of this essential dental safeguard.
"If the Dubbo water supply has not been fluoridated for more than five years, then there will be many children who will have reached the age of six and seven - when adult teeth start to erupt or come into the mouth - who will not have had the benefit of water fluoridation," he said.
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"Plus, we know that adults who live their lifetime in non-fluoridated areas generally have more tooth decay than those in fluoridated areas.
"So across the community, there is a real risk that oral health will be worse now than if the water supply had remained fluoridated."
Adjusting fluoride levels to approximately one part per million in water offers a vital shield against tooth decay, and the true advantage of community water fluoridation lies in its equitable distribution of benefits.
Everyone benefits without needing to purchase or do anything, and given that tap water is free, it becomes an accessible means of safeguarding dental health for children, whether they are at school or participating in sporting activities.
The question now arises - how long is it reasonable to go without fluoride?
Professor Hopcraft has no doubt when he says the five-year period of fluoride deprivation in Dubbo is utterly unacceptable.
"This is definitely a problem that should have been sorted out earlier," he said.
"We probably won't know for a few years the true impact that this has had on the Dubbo community, but five years is too long to go without the benefits of water fluoridation."
Associate Professor Hopcraft said that such an oversight poses an imminent threat to the oral health of the community, and "we can reasonably anticipate a surge in dental issues" in the coming years due to this neglect.
As the water supply will eventually regain its fluoride content, there are certain precautions individuals can take in the meantime.
Professor Hopcraft advises the continuation of vital oral hygiene practices, including reducing the consumption of sugary foods and drinks while increasing tap water intake.
Additionally, regular brushing with fluoridated toothpaste, flossing, and maintaining routine dental check-ups are vital during this fluoride drought. He recommends consulting dental professionals about the best types of toothpaste to use, with adult toothpaste for children being a consideration in areas lacking fluoridation.
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