It’s time we all embrace and promote the benefits of water fluoridation

  Posted by: Dental Design      27th July 2018

© Licensed to simonjacobs.com. 15/05/2014 London, UK. Launch of National Smile Month at The Ivy, London. Photo credit : Simon Jacobs

An important and highly significant piece of new research coming out of the US has confirmed that adding fluoride to water supplies does not carry any negative health effects.

Since its introduction into toothpaste and some water supplies in the UK, fluoride has been the single most effective measure in reducing decay levels and improving the population’s oral health. This new study confirms what many of us, and what other smaller pieces of research, have suggested for years – water fluoridation is safe. Now it’s time to promote the introduction of water fluoridation in the many areas of the UK that are currently without it.

As a charity working to communicate the values of good oral health, we are proud to be one of the very first adopters of the concept of preventive dentistry. Almost half a century later, we are still trying to reinforce the message that keeping your teeth for life is not only possible, it should be expected.

Countless studies continue to link tooth loss to frailty, poor general health and wider systemic diseases, especially as we get older. How many teeth we have is also shown to be a predictor of life expectancy. Patients need to understand that keeping their teeth healthy is vital for their overall wellbeing and we should make sure that we don’t face the prospect of teeth being lost when we get older.

Thankfully, tooth loss has improved greatly over time. According to the latest figures, six per cent of adults in England are edentate, a decrease of 22 per cent over the last 30 years. During the same period, the proportion of adults who are edentate has also fallen in Wales by 27 per cent (to 10 per cent) and in Northern Ireland by 26 per cent (to seven per cent). There is no doubt that the single most important factor in these changes was the introduction of fluoride toothpaste. But it is now time for us to reconsider water fluoridation where we have seen no new scheme for over 20 years.

The next step: water: In January, figures were released by the Local Government Association (LGA), which revealed that there were well over 40,000 hospital operations needed to remove unhealthy teeth in children and teenagers in the last year alone. This equates to 170 operations across the country every single day.

There is a clear and frankly distressing problem where the oral health of young people in this country is concerned.

The solution, however, is not far out of reach. Earlier this year, Public Health England released a report that illustrated that areas across the country that have had fluoride added to their water have seen reduced levels of tooth decay, with no convincing evidence to suggest any adverse health effects.

Nationwide water fluoridation schemes could have a significant impact and help us put a dent into appalling childhood tooth extraction figures. For areas of lower social economic status, where childhood tooth decay is its highest, water fluoridation schemes could help reduce the inequalities that currently exist and help more children avoid painful and distressing procedures to remove rotten teeth under general anaesthetic.

Promoting the benefits: Despite the clear and obvious advantages of water fluoridation, as little as 12 per cent of the UK currently benefit from it. Those who oppose fluoride are extremely vocal in their objections and many local anti-fluoride campaigners have successfully managed to influence and de-rail water fluoridation schemes in certain areas.

It is now time to make our voices heard and be seen to actively promote the benefits. It is our responsibility to share these with patients and make sure that we do our best to assuage any worries or concerns about this naturally-occurring mineral. Many patients are still in the dark about fluoride and are unaware of what it is and what it does. It is important that we reach these groups and inform them about the reality before they are influenced by those who are against it. By gaining greater public support we can begin to tip the balance and see more water fluoridation schemes implemented in the UK – which would be a hugely positive move.