The lack of fluoride in Calgary ...

According to a University of Calgary study, children are more likely to develop cavities in Calgary than in Edmonton, where the water is still fluoridated.

The study comparing the dental health of children in the two cities was published in July in the medical journal Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology showing the negative effect on the lack of fluoride in water.

It found that 64.8% of participants in Calgary had one or more cavities in their baby teeth, compared to 55.1% of participants in Edmonton.

And according to Lindsay McLaren, lead researcher of the report and professor of community health sciences at the University of Calgary, it is very likely that fluoridation is a significant factor.

"Calgary has ended its fluoridation program in 2011, whereas in Edmonton, fluoridation is still in place," McLaren told the Calgary Eyeopener on Wednesday.

"We saw these dramatic differences in the prevalence of dental caries, especially in baby teeth, between the two cities. This difference has actually increased over time since fluoridation stopped. »

The research

The study included approximately 2,600 children in Calgary and another 2,600 in Edmonton in 2018 and 2019.

Participants were approximately seven years old and born after fluoride was removed from the water supply in Calgary, to ensure whether they had lived their entire lives with a lack of fluoride or not.

They were also recruited from schools rather than dentists, to get an accurate snapshot of populations including low-income children who cannot afford dental care in Canada.

< p>Parents completed a detailed questionnaire on sociodemographic factors, dental health, behaviors and diet, to take into account other reasons for caries.

"To collect the data, teams of dental hygienists and clerks visited schools and carried out on-site examinations," Ms McLaren said.

The findings build on previous research which gathered information on the dental health of children in Calgary and Edmonton in 2013 and 2014.

At the time, it found a 56.6% prevalence of dental caries in baby teeth in Calgary, and of 58.7% in Edmonton.

 

But in the five years between the studies, that has changed.

"Dental caries are worsened in children in Calgary, but not in those in Edmonton, during this period," Ms. McLaren said.

"It's a largely preventable problem, and given the lack of fluoride in the water, we do virtually nothing in terms of primary prevention in Calgary. »

This is very serious

Health Canada recommends that water be fluoridated at a level of 0.7 mg/L to prevent cavities dental care.

The city of Calgary says it saves about $750,000 a year by not adding fluoride to water, but it is holding another plebiscite this fall to find out whether she must restore it.

In 2019, Dr. Cora Constantinescu, a specialist in pediatrics, saidt advises that since fluoride was removed from Calgary's drinking water, dental infections that must be treated with intravenous antibiotics have increased by 700 per cent at the Alberta Children's Hospital. Half of these infections affect children under the age of five.

– Ready to vote again on water fluoridation? Calgary holds 7th plebiscite on issue.

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According to Ms. McLaren, tooth decay can be very painful for children. Sometimes they can interfere with children's ability to concentrate and learn.

"Tooth decay in children under six years of age is actually the leading cause of day surgery, and almost all of these surgeries are done under general anesthesia, which is very serious," McLaren said.

"The health of your baby teeth is actually very predictive of the health of your adult teeth . So, it absolutely does not stop when baby teeth fall out. »