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Health

Fluoride urged for water

05/02/2008

Fluoride should be added to water to prevent tooth decay in areas with poor dental health, the health secretary said today.

Alan Johnson urged strategic health authorities (SHAs) to consider fluoridating tap water if the local community is in favour of the scheme.

He announced that £14 million per year has been made available over the next three years to help SHAs take up the scheme.

All water contains some fluoride and about 5.5 million people receive water where the fluoride content has been increased at the request of the NHS to a level of one part per million.

The government claims studies have shown oral health is better in areas where water is already fluoridated.

In these areas the number of children with tooth decay is said to be 15 per cent smaller.

Major schemes are in operation in Birmingham, the West Midlands and in Tyneside.

No ill-effects have been identified and children in Birmingham have half the cases of tooth decay than children in non-fluoridated Manchester.

"Only two or three areas currently [are fluoridated] and we need to go much further in areas where dental health needs to be improved," said Mr Johnson.

"It is an effective and relatively easy way to help address health inequalities - giving children from poorer backgrounds a dental health boost that can last a lifetime, reducing tooth decay and thereby cutting down on the amount of dental work they need in the future."

The health secretary added that as there are "strong views on this subject" it is important any proposed schemes "are fully and widely consulted on".