Chief Dental Officer For Wales Supports Water Fluoridation
One of the UK’s leading dental experts claims that water fluoridation could have a very positive impact on standards of oral health. David Thomas, Wales’ chief dental officer, said that there is “strong evidence to show that adding fluoride to the water supply has a significant effect on reducing health inequalities.”
Mr Thomas added that there are currently no plans for the Welsh Government to add fluoride to water supplies in the country; however, he said that he has discussed the issue with health ministers and it is a subject, which the government will think about in the future.
Critics of water fluoridation claim that adding fluoride can be harmful for health, as well as contravening people’s right to choose whether or not they drink fluoridated water; however, Mr Thomas said that there was “evidence that the health of the whole community is improved with fluoridation.”
Speaking at the National Assembly’s Health and Social Care Committee, Mr Thomas said that scientific evidence supports the notion that water fluoridation improves oral health for everyone and represents an effective way of tackling inequalities and closing the gap between affluent and poorer communities.
Mr Thomas was speaking after it was revealed that the number of children having fillings in Wales has doubled in the last four years.
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