OUR Government has the best of motives in wanting to extend the fluoridisation of our water supply. But it is embarking on a risky experiment which, as we report today, some believe could lower children’s intelligence, lead to behavioural problems and cause health problems in adults.
Our modern sugary diet is not only making our children obese, it is also rotting their teeth. Toddlers as young as two have teeth removed. One hospital in Sheffield extracts all the milk teeth from a child once a week on average. In Glasgow, 2,000 children aged under five have extractions each year.
It is an uphill struggle to persuade people to change their family’s diets. Therefore, the Government reasons that the best way to strengthen children’s teeth is to add fluoride to water which everyone drinks.
But some experts claim the benefits of fluoride are negligible or non-existent. Others worry that fluoride has dangers which outweigh any benefits, particularly in babies with underdeveloped systems.
The Government must not embark on what amounts to mass medication of the population without exhaustive studies that are carried out to the highest scientific standards over a long period.
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*Note from FAN:
For a further understanding of the Scottish Childsmile program, which was created because of the Scottish Executive’s decision not to fluoridate, go to http://fluoridealert.org/content/childsmile/