Fresh calls are being made for water fluoridation in the UK after new research shows it has no negative effects.
Following years of research from the National Toxicology Program, it found there is ‘no link between elevated levels of fluoride and cognitive learning deficits’.
This has led to the Oral Health Foundation renewing calls for water fluoridation to help improve the nation’s oral health.
‘The single biggest improvement to oral health in the United Kingdom came with the introduction of fluoride into toothpastes and water fluoridation schemes can have an equally positive effect,’ Dr Nigel Carter OBE, CEO of the Oral Health Foundation, said.
‘Fluoride not only helps protect the teeth against tooth decay, it also reduces the amount of acid that the bacteria on teeth produce.
‘The addition of fluoride to water has been researched for over 70 years, and water fluoridation has been proven to reduce decay by 40% to 60%.
‘This paper, alongside many others that definitively prove there is no risk to health, should pave the way for local authorities to introduce water fluoridation programmes across the country.’
Strong opposition
Recent schemes for water fluoridation have been scrapped due to strong opposition from local councils.
Despite this, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the British Dental Association (BDA), amongst many other groups, have long celebrated the benefits of adding fluoride to drinking water.
‘Almost all cases of tooth decay are completely preventable,’ adds Dr Carter.
‘By introducing water fluoridation schemes, especially into areas of lower social economic status where childhood tooth decay is at its highest, local authorities can make a significant impact improving oral health across the UK.’
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