General News
9 November, 2025
Teeth decay drops by 10%
QUEENSLAND’S head dentist believes a new study showing fluoride in tap water has significantly improved oral health in the state’s children will give councils food for thought.
The University of Queensland study found the number of primary school-aged children with tooth decay has fallen by more than 10% in the past 10 years, mostly in regions with fluoride in their water supply.
The Cassowary Coast does not fluoridate its public water supply, a decision made by the local council in 2013 after a poll showed a majority of residents opposed it (64%). Despite the existence of infrastructure built for fluoridation, the council voted against the measure.
Queensland’s chief dental officer Ben Stute said, while it was encouraging to see improvements in oral health among Queensland children, the study showed not all children had benefitted equally since the previous study in 2012.
“The findings of QCOHS (Queensland Child Oral Health Study) will help us identify where we should be putting our efforts over the coming years to ensure all Queensland children enjoy better oral health,” he said.
“The implications for Queensland Health may include how we deliver public oral health services to Queensland children, as well as local and statewide preventive strategies that promote good oral health.
“This study also adds up-to-date, high-quality and local evidence supporting the effectiveness of water fluoridation, which I hope will provide reassurance to local councils regarding the important impact of this initiative.”
Data from 7718 school students aged between 5-14 years was collected as part of the QCOHS 2021-24, carried out in collaboration with Queensland Health and the Queensland Department of Education at randomly selected state, independent and Catholic schools.
Professor Loc Do from UQ’s School of Dentistry said the results were compared to the first QCOHS study in 2010-2012.
“We found the percentage of children aged 5-10 years with tooth decay in their baby teeth fell from 49.5% to 38.8% in the latest survey,” he said.
“The average number of tooth surfaces that have had decay in this group was also lower at 2.9 compared to 4.1 previously, indicating a steady decline over the past decade.
“It’s important to note, these improvements were predominantly seen in newly-fluoridated areas, while there was little change in the experience of tooth decay in areas without water fluoridation.
“The significant benefit of water fluoridation remained even after taking into consideration socioeconomic factors and health behaviours and was maintained in older children with adult teeth.”
The study also gathered information about behaviours and attitudes to the oral health of children.
“We discovered 40% of Queensland children had at least one sugary drink a day and the proportion of children who brushed their teeth twice a day as recommended has fallen to 63% from 72%,” Professor Do said.
“This suggests oral health promotion should be stepped up to educate both parents and children on ways to prevent tooth decay and other oral health problems,” he said.
“There are strong associations between household income and parental education with oral health.’’
Read More: Cassowary Coast