Hull City Council has proposed controversial plans to add fluoride to the city’s water as part of a drive to tackle tooth decay.
Dentist Andrew Stuart is backing the proposal saying many children in the city have decaying teeth, more than most areas of the country.
Adding fluoride, as well as educating children, he says, would help fight this.
The proposals are estimated to cost around £300,000 to bring in, and £100,000 annually to run.
Liberal Democrat Councillor Mike Ross says putting fluoride in water takes the choice out of residents’ hands:
Any plans would need support from neighbouring East Riding Council. The county’s Dental Committee support the moves:
The sad fact is that too many children in our communities have tooth decay which could have been prevented. That is why we are giving our full support to a range of local initiatives that will prevent tooth decay in the future – not only water fluoridation but also supervised tooth-brushing programmes in schools and education about how to promote good oral health. We need them all for the maximum benefit for the maximum number of people. We support water fluoridation because many studies have shown that it is effective. It reduces the amount of decay experienced by children by somewhere between 30% and 50%, as well as increasing the number of children who never experience tooth decay by up to about 15%. Less tooth decay also means fewer children having to undergo a general anaesthetic to remove badly decayed teeth. That is certainly a goal worth striving for.
– East Riding of Yorkshire Local Dental Committee
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