NHS England is signalling strongly that community water fluoridation is the optimum intervention to improve the oral health of children and tackle health inequality among disadvantaged communities.
The new impetus is fully supported by the Community Water Fluoridation (CWF) network, which is pressing for targeted water fluoridation in areas of high need. Dr Simon Hearnshaw, speaking for the CWF network, says that the latest unprecedented support from government inspires optimism that the first new scheme in a generation could get the go-ahead.
Health minister Jo Churchill has referenced water fluoridation in the House of Commons, responding to a written question about plans for improving children’s oral health and reducing the high number of extractions for decayed teeth. Meanwhile, Sir Paul Beresford, MP for the Mole Valley, and a dentist, gave a powerful speech in favour of community water fluoridation in Westminster.
New content (1) has been added to the NHS England website and a whole page (2) is dedicated to Dental Care and Fluoridation. According to NHS England, if 5-year-olds with the most tooth decay drank fluoridated water they would have 28% less tooth decay and be 45-68% less likely to need teeth removed in hospital.
Dr Hearnshaw, Chair of the Local Professional Network (LPN) in Hull which instigated the CWF Network, said: “NHS England is making the same case that is being made by us and by Public Health England (3). The whole philosophical thrust is towards the prevention of disease and the most cost-effective measure is water fluoridation.”
He welcomed the recognition on the new NHS England web page that support at a local level by NHS representatives is important. Dr Hearnshaw believes this is a reference to the co-commissioning of feasibility studies by local authorities working with the NHS at local level to provide a strong strategic and collaborative lead.
The CWF network would like NHS England to go one step further and fund the recurring costs of water fluoridation as it is the health service which will benefit from a reduction in child hospital admissions for tooth extractions, estimated to be as much as £50m annually in the UK.
Dr Hearnshaw continued: “We have some way to go in the UK. Last month the USA celebrated 75 years of CWF. They have around 70% coverage, compared to only around 10% in the UK. All around the world new water fluoridation schemes are being adopted. We have not seen a new scheme in the UK since 1985.”
References:
1. https://www.england.nhs.uk/ltphimenu/
2. https://www.england.nhs.uk/ltphimenu/better-care-for-health-conditions-for-dental-healthcare/dental-care-and-water-fluoridation/
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-fluoridation-health-monitoring-report-for-england-2018
Notes to Editors
Six million people in the UK live in areas where the water supply is fluoridated and a further one third of a million live in areas where the water has naturally occurring fluoride. Water fluoridation is approved by parliament but since 2012, local authorities which want to implement the public health measure must first carry out a public consultation.
Water fluoridation is supported by:
· The World Health Organisation
· The British Medical Association
· The British Dental Association
· The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
· Federation Dentaire Internationale
· International Association of Dental Research
· Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons
· Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK)
· The Oral Health Foundation
· The World Health Assembly
The most recent commitment to the addition of fluoride to community water schemes first arose in the Green Paper: ‘Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s’. Published in July last year, it committed to consulting on options for rolling out a national school toothbrushing scheme in more pre-school settings and primary schools, and to consulting on the role of water companies in support water fluoridation initiatives in England.
For more information, contact Caroline Holland 020 8679 9595/07974 731396
