ARCPOH, School of Dentistry, The University of Adelaide, Menzies School of Health Research, Queensland, Australia.
Int Dent J. 2010 Jun;60(3 Suppl 2):250-6.
The caries experience of Australian Indigenous children has deteriorated at the same time as that of non-Indigenous children has greatly improved. Fluoridating the water supplies of Indigenous communities emerged as a policy direction at the beginning of the 2000s. However, remote Indigenous communities are small, highly dispersed and isolated. This paper describes the Strong Teeth Study, a series of projects for the fluoridation of remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory. The background and rationale for two demonstration fluoridation projects are presented and the feasibility of operating small-scale fluoridation plant and measuring the impact on caries experience described. The demonstration fluoridation projects were commenced, but not sustained. The lessons learnt about environmental enablers and essential service requirements are highlighted. Fluoridation has the potential to improve oral health so as to contribute positively to child development as part of the broader mission of closing the gap in health between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
澳大利亚土著儿童的龋齿情况在非土著儿童的龋齿情况大幅改善的同时恶化了。在 21 世纪初，为土著社区的供水氟化成为一项政策方向。然而，偏远的土著社区规模小、高度分散且孤立。本文描述了 Strong Teeth 研究，这是一系列在北领地偏远土著社区进行氟化的项目。介绍了两个示范氟化项目的背景和基本原理，并描述了运营小规模氟化厂和测量对龋齿情况影响的可行性。示范氟化项目已经启动，但未能持续。强调了有关环境促进因素和基本服务要求的经验教训。氟化有可能改善口腔健康，从而对儿童发展产生积极影响，这是缩小澳大利亚土著和非土著之间健康差距这一更广泛使命的一部分。
