British Dental Association supports plans for water fluoridation in Scotland
The British Dental Association (BDA) is supporting plans to increase access to fluoridated water in Scotland.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is considering adding fluoride to water supplies in the area and other trusts could follow suit. Health boards have the option to ask Scottish Water to introduce fluoridated water provided they can prove support from the local community.
Robert Donald, chair of the BDA’s Scottish Council, backed proposals, saying, “The safety in the science is clear-cut.” Fluoride is already present in water supplies in Scotland, Mr Donald explained, but the levels are not sufficient to reduce rates of decay. If levels were increased, rates of tooth decay would fall. Speaking in an interview on Good Morning Scotland, Mr Donald stressed that “optimal” levels of fluoride would be safe for children and adults, including pregnant women and the elderly.
In 2021, the four chief medical officers in the UK backed plans to add fluoride to water supplies across the four nations. An evidence-based review suggested that water fluoridation would reduce rates of tooth decay by 17% among children from affluent backgrounds and 28% among children from the poorest households.
The risk of hospitalisation for tooth extraction would decrease by between 45% and 68%. The review concluded that fluoridation would be an “effective public health intervention for reducing the prevalence of tooth decay and improving dental health equality.”
Mr Donald added that data from Public Health England showed that access to fluoridated water led to a 50% reduction in rates of decay among 5-year-olds. In Scotland, around 30% of children in primary one have signs of dental decay.
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