“Dental Desert” To Lose Fluoridated Water
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- Published: Wednesday, 10 August 2022 07:44
- Written by Peter Ingle
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With a focus on the access crisis and contractual changes, the potential of preventive dentistry has taken something of a back seat. A good deal of the current backlog of untreated disease might have been prevented by nationwide fluoridation.
Two recent stories show both the efforts being made to promote fluoridation, and some of the challenges that they face.
The first schemes to trial fluoridated water supplies in the UK, began in 1955. Progress in the following decades has been slow. The British Fluoridation Society (BFS) was founded in 1969 to promote water fluoridation. The Society’s most recent figures show that only 10% of the UK population are benefiting from optimal fluoride levels, and this includes those receiving water with effective levels of naturally occurring fluoride.
Adding fluoride to public water remains an emotive issue, and the decision to fluoridate has rested with local authorities since 2013. An alliance of groups that oppose fluoridation, often on the grounds that it is “mass medication,” has limited the proportion of the population benefitting from this public health measure.
The BFS has announced that Sharon Walker and Sakina Needham have joined its executive committee. Sharon Walker, began her career as a dental nurse and has worked in dentistry for over 30 years being involved in clinical practice, teaching and public health. Sharon explained her support for fluoridation, “Community water fluoridation is one the most effective ways to reduce dental inequalities and benefits both adults and children’s oral health. Everyone deserves a healthy smile.”
Sakina Needham has been a registered dental care professional (DCP) for 15 years, where she has expanded her scope of practice in private, NHS, community and voluntary settings mostly in the Lincolnshire area. She said, “I am honoured to be joining the BFS Executive Committee and hope to bring a deeply passionate and well-experienced energy that will continue to highlight the importance of fluoridation in our communities and I hope to encourage more dental nurses to join us in our public message.”
The BFS welcomed the new appointments which they say will bring a diverse range of expertise and practical knowledge to the Society.
With her knowledge of the area, Sakina Needham will have been particularly disappointed to hear of a forthcoming pause in the supply of fluoridated water to 250,000 Lincolnshire residents. Anglian Water will stop fluoridating water in parts of the county due to infrastructure work starting in early 2024. Lincoln, Gainsborough, Sleaford, and Grantham are amongst the areas that will be affected. As other parts of Lincolnshire do not have a legal agreement to receive fluoridated water it will have to be stopped for the whole county. The work will take at least a year. Lincolnshire Council says that it is exploring ways to minimise the impact of this. The council’s Health Scrutiny Committee admits that this is “likely to have a negative impact on oral health in the west of the county”
Up to twice as many five-year olds living in the non-fluoridated part of the county experience tooth decay, compared to those in the parts of Lincolnshire that do.
The announcement comes as parts of Lincolnshire are experiencing a chronic shortage of dentists with long waiting lists for appointments. In May it was reported that thousands of people in Lincolnshire are without access to NHS dental care. The county was named as the fourth-worst ’dental desert’ in England. North Lincolnshire CCG had the lowest number of dentists per thousand population in the country, at 32 per 100,000.
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