In plans to improve the nation’s teeth, an initial 1.6 million people will see the mineral added to their water supply, following a consultation in areas including Northumberland, Teesside, Durham and South Tyneside.
The Government said its long-term ambition was to bring fluoridation to deprived areas of the country, highlighting Ireland and the US, where 73 per cent of people live in areas where fluoride is added to the water.
It is part of the NHS Dental Recovery Plan, which was released on Wednesday.
In a letter to dentists, Andrea Leadsom, Minister for Public Health, said: “Under new legislation, we have made it simpler to start new water fluoridation schemes.
“Our long-term ambition is to systematically bring fluoridation to more of the country, with a particular focus on the most deprived areas, which stand to benefit most from fluoridation.”
Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral found in water in varying amounts depending on location, and is known to make teeth stronger and reduce decay. For that reason, it is often added to toothpaste and mouthwash.
It has been included in drinking water in some parts of the UK since 1964, while in some areas of the country natural fluoride levels already reach the target concentration.
Sir Chris Witty, the Chief Medical Officer for England, has claimed that adding fluoride to water supplies could reduce cavities by 17 per cent among the richest and 28 per cent among the poorest.
Sir Chris Witty claims that adding fluoride to drinking would could cut the number of cavities across the population CREDIT: Heathcliff O’Malley for the Telegraph
It is damaging in larger quantities, however, and in the past it has been linked to health conditions such as fluorosis – a build-up in the teeth and bones – as well as bone cancer, impaired brain development and Down’s syndrome.
Fear of harm has left some local authorities reluctant to introduce fluoride, which led to the Government taking the decision out of their hands in the recent Health and Care Act.
A 2007 Nuffield Council on Bioethics report concluded that good evidence for or against water fluoridation was lacking and advised that local communities should be left to decide.
In 2014, Southampton abandoned its fluoridation scheme following public opposition led in part by the Green Party.
Responding to the new plans, a spokesman for the Green Party said: “The Green Party is opposed to the artificial mass fluoridation of drinking water. There is conflicting evidence on the benefits to dental health of this practice and major concerns on the cumulative negative wider health effects.
“There are further concerns on the links with the chemical industry that supplies artificial fluoride and the compulsory nature of its addition to drinking water that denies consumers choice.”
Lord Reay, a Conservative peer, has said he has “grave concerns” about the risks posed by widespread fluoridation, claiming studies have shown that IQ levels drop significantly in bottle-fed babies in fluoridated Canadian communities.
“You can repair a damaged tooth but not a damaged brain,” he told the House of Lords during a debate on the Health and Care Bill.
A court case is ongoing in San Francisco to determine whether the US environmental protection agency should ban fluoridation of drinking water to protect fetuses and children from the risk of neuro developmental problems.
Campaigners have concerns over potential negative health impacts caused by fluoride in drinking water CREDIT: E+
A recent report from the University of Manchester, which looked at the dental records of 6.4 million Britons, also questioned the benefit, after finding fluoride reduced invasive dental treatments by just three per cent and prevented decayed, missing and filled teeth by just two per cent.
The team argued that since fluoride toothpastes became available in the mid-1970s, water schemes were unlikely to bring the same benefits as in the past.
But Barry Cockcroft, the former chief dental officer for England, and now British Fluoridation Society chairman, said: “There is a lot of very good evidence of benefit and no robust evidence of harm.
“We know that areas like the East Midlands are keen to expand so I think the appetite is greater now than it used to be.”
Tooth decay is the most common reason for hospitalisation in children aged six to ten in England and previous studies have shown children who drink fluoridated water have 2.2 fewer teeth affected by decay than those in non-fluoridated areas.
Dr Charlotte Eckhardt, dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, added: “Adding fluoride to drinking water can significantly reduce tooth cavities and extractions among children and young people, with those in deprived areas benefiting most from fluoridation schemes.
“The Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of England supports targeted fluoridation to these low socioeconomic areas and the introduction of supervised tooth brushing. Expanding water fluoridation will help to tackle the inequalities in dental care.”
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