Dental Experts Call for Water Fluoridation Throughout the UK
Dental experts are calling for water fluoridation to be introduced across the UK in a bid to tackle high rates of tooth decay.
Dental surgeons say that adding fluoride to water supplies would help to decrease the number of children admitted to hospital for treatment. In 2013-2104, almost 26,000 children aged between 5 and 9 years old were taken into hospital for dental treatment and surgeons believe this number would be greatly reduced by ensuring that all children have access to fluoridated water.
Currently, around 10% of England’s water supplies contain the desired amount of fluoride for improved dental health, either through natural or artificial means and experts believe that making fluoridation more widespread would have significant benefits.
In a report, the faculty of dental surgeons at the Royal College of Surgeons claims that widespread fluoridation would reduce the prevalence of decay among children and iron out differences between affluent and deprived areas.
Prof Nigel Hunt, dean of the faculty, said that inconsistencies across the country are highlighted on a regular basis, yet there doesn’t seem to be any sign of the gap between richer and poorer areas getting any smaller and fluoridation would help to create a more level playing field.
The group also cited a report published by Public Health England in 2014 claiming that rates of hospitalisation for children’s dental issues were 45 per cent lower in areas with fluoridated water.
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