New Study Demonstrates UK Government Is On Right Track With Plans To Centralise Fluoridation
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- Published: Monday, 09 August 2021 07:33
- Written by Chris Tapper
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The UK Government’s decision to take on responsibility for the funding and implementation of water fluoridation, appears to have been justified with the publication of an important new study.
A 14-year comparison of schoolchildren carried out in Canada found that children aged around 7-years-olds in fluoridated Edmonton, had fewer cavities and thus healthier teeth than in non-fluoridated Calgary.
The British Fluoridation Society (BFS) says “Due to its scale and its precision, the research is important on many levels, not least because it showcases what happens when water fluoridation is stopped. In 2011 the municipal government in Calgary decided to discontinue fluoridating the water supply.”
“At the start of the study in 2004, schoolchildren aged 7-8 in Calgary had fewer cavities than in Edmonton. Now, 65% of Calgary children - nearly two out of every three – have cavities and the number is rising. Meanwhile, compared with 14 years ago, the dental cavity rate for Edmonton children is virtually the same.”
The BFS says that the findings are a valuable predictor of potential oral health improvements in future generations of children up to the age of seven and believes the findings, explain “Powerfully and graphically the benefits of water fluoridation to the health of children.”
In February 2020, the then Secretary of State for Health Matt Hancock confirmed plans to remove the barriers to water fluoridation schemes in the UK.
The draft bill ‘Integration and Innovation: working together to improve health and social care for all,” outlined the UK Government’s plans to take responsibility for the funding and implementation of water fluoridation, removing control of fluoridation schemes from local authorities.
In 1993, a study carried out on 5-year-old children in Anglesey found a profound increase in caries experience following the cessation of local water fluoridation.
This contrasted with data gathered after the commencement of fluoridation in Anglesey in 1955, which found a 50% reduction in decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT).
The researchers said their results demonstrated the serious consequences for dental health when fluoridation is withdrawn and how difficult it will be to reach dental health targets in North Wales without fluoridation.
Similarly, a study published in 1989 compared the dental health of children in two Scottish towns, one fluoridated and the other not.
The mean DMFT score was found to be 69% lower in the 5-year-old children in the fluoridated town compared with the non-fluoridated one.
The researchers found there was a similar 65 per cent difference for DMFT scores in those aged 15 years.
Commenting on the latest Edmonton and Calgary study, British Fluoridation Society Chair Dr Barry Cockcroft said “We welcome the findings of this carefully calibrated study by McLaren et al which helps build on the existing body of research.”
“By compiling the many authoritative studies from around the world, such as this latest work from Canada, we see a reassuring picture of the positive impact of water fluoridation on improving children’s oral health and reducing inequalities.”
“Let us not forget that water fluoridation positively benefits all ages and with the number of people living into older age, the ability to strengthen tooth enamel and reduce cavities with the simple addition of fluoride to water is a powerful and cost effective tool, along with other preventive measures, of course.”
In the UK, around one tenth of people have benefited from water fluoridation since the introduction of schemes from the 1960s. These are in the West Midlands, Bedfordshire, Cumbria, Cheshire, Tyneside, Northumbria, Durham, Humberside, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.”
Dr Cockroft said “By and large, all the UK’s schemes have remained operational, with the exception of Cumbria where it was halted temporarily.”
“A study is currently underway to examine how children’s teeth were impacted when water fluoridation was stopped and restarted due to maintenance work by the water authority.”
The CATFISH study (Cumbria Assessment of Teeth – A Fluoride Intervention Study For Health) is due for publication later this year.
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