The public can comment on this report: “Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s” up to 11:59 pm on 14 October 2019.
The Cabinet Office and Department of Health and Social Care are seeking your views on proposals to tackle the causes of preventable ill health in England.
• Read the Consultation Document (called the green paper) – also in pdf*)
Note from the Fluoridation Action Network:
The statements in the document on fluoride & fluoridation:
Page 5: We will: … consult on a new school toothbrushing scheme, and support water fluoridation
PAGE 49: We will consult on rolling out a school toothbrushing scheme in more pre-school settings and primary schools in England.
Evidence suggests that these programmes have the ability to reduce tooth decay, mitigate inequalities and establish lifelong behaviour to improve oral health. Half of all local authorities already have a version of the scheme in place (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/improving-oral-health-supervised-tooth-brushing-programme-toolkit), but they are not always focused on the children that would benefit the most. Next year, we’ll consult on proposals that will allow us to reach the most deprived 3to 5-year-olds in all areas of the country. The aim would be to reach 30% by 2022.
We will explore ways of removing the funding barriers to fluoridating water to encourage more local areas that are interested to come forward with proposals. NHS England will actively seek partnerships between local authorities and the NHS, with councils rewarded for their fluoridation efforts by receiving a share of the savings from fewer child tooth fillings and extractions. This also includes examining the role that water companies can play in supporting fluoridation efforts [our emphasis].
Fluoride is a naturally occurring substance present in most water supplies, though typically at levels too low to improve dental health. It has a protective effect on teeth that lessens the impact of diets high in sugar and poor oral hygiene.
Six million people in England (1 in 10 of us) already drink fluoridated water because of where they live. A further 400,000 live in areas where fluoride levels in water are already naturally elevated due to the surrounding geology. There’s evidence that these areas have lower levels of dental disease than similar areas without fluoridation. For 5-year-olds living in the most deprived areas, the odds of tooth decay are reduced by a third (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/improving-oral-health-supervised-tooth-brushing-programme-toolkit).
Water fluoridation schemes such as this have been used for over 70 years internationally, and in England for over 55 years. In its 2018 report, PHE concluded (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-fluoridation-health-monitoring-report-for-england-2018), that “water fluoridation is an effective and safe public health measure to reduce the frequency and severity of dental decay, and narrow differences in dental health between more and less deprived children and young people”.
Question: What should the role of water companies be in water fluoridation schemes?(Click here)
Case study: Leicester’s Healthy Teeth, Happy Smiles
PAGE 48-49: In 2012, Leicester City Council had the highest prevalence of tooth decay in 5-year-olds across local authorities in England: 53%. It responded by prioritising help for preschool children as part of Leicester’s Healthy Teeth, Happy Smiles! programme. This evidence-based programme ensures that good tooth brushing behaviour with a fluoride toothpaste is established early in a child’s life and becomes part of their normal daily routine.
Almost 900 members of staff have been trained to deliver supervised tooth brushing with almost 9,000 children benefiting from daily supervised brushing. By 2017, the prevalence of tooth decay in Leicester had significantly reduced, to 39%.
In 2012, Leicester City Council had the highest prevalence of tooth decay in 5-year-olds(https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/oral-health-survey-of-5-year-old-children-2017) across local authorities in England: 53%. It responded by prioritising help for preschool children as part of Leicester’s Healthy Teeth, Happy Smiles! programme. This evidence-based programme ensures that good tooth brushing behaviour with a fluoride toothpaste is established early in a child’s life and becomes part of their normal daily routine.Almost 900 members of staff have been trained to deliver supervised tooth brushing with almost9,000 children benefiting from daily supervised brushing. By 2017, the prevalence of tooth decay in Leicester had significantly reduced (https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20180801132950/http:/www.nwph.net/dentalhealth/survey-results5.aspx?id=1), to 39%.
*Read the report online at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/advancing-our-health-prevention-in-the-2020s/advancing-our-health-prevention-in-the-2020s-consultation-document
* NOTE: The PDF of the formatted version of this document appears to be coded to dis-allow 3rd parties from putting it online. You may find it easier to read the html version available online here.
Print 
PDF