Millions of Britons will add fluoride to tap water in a government plan to improve their oral health.
The fluoride expansion, unveiled as part of the government’s long-awaited dental recovery plan, will initially see 1.6 million people add the mineral to their drinking water supply.
Areas involved in the first expansion include Northumberland, Teesside, Durham and South Tyneside, although consultations will take place.
And more could be on the way, with ministers saying their long-term ambition is to bring fluoride to more of the country, with a ‘particular focus’ on deprived areas.
Fluoride is a natural mineral that promotes dental health by helping to strengthen the hard outer protective layer of the teeth called enamel, which in turn protects the tooth from damage and wear.
Millions of Britons will add fluoride to tap water in a government plan to improve their oral health (stock image)
According to the British Fluoridation Society, only 6.1 million Britons – around 10 percent of the population – currently received water with sufficient fluoride content to benefit oral health. These areas include Hartlepool, Easington, parts of North Hampshire and South Berkshire
But adding fluoride to the water supply is not without controversy.
Some have warned that the mineral may increase the risk of babies being born with Down syndrome, kidney stones and certain cancers.
However, the NHS and experts such as the government’s chief medical officer Sir Chris Whitty say these claims are not supported by evidence, with the latter previously describing them as ‘exaggerated and unproven’.
About 5.8 million Britons live in areas where fluoride – also added to toothpastes and mouthwashes – is already in tap water. And 300,000 liquor supplies, naturally fluoridated by rocks in the ground.
According to the British Fluoridation Society, only 10 percent of the British population currently receives water with adequate fluoride levels.
Health bosses estimate that adding fluoride to the water supply could prevent two-thirds of hospital admissions for tooth decay, an issue costing the NHS, and by extension the taxpayer, millions.
Although fluoride is added to water, a process called fluoridation has previously been carried out in Britain, but expansion of the system has largely stalled since the 1980s.
Modern attempts to reach British communities have largely failed during the consultation phase because the public is not convinced of the benefits compared to the perceived risk.
Fluoridation is a flashpoint in the US, with presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. labeled it “neurotoxic” earlier this week and vowed to remove it from drinking water supplies if elected.
The government’s dental recovery plan, published this week, includes fluoridation as a core component.
“Under the new legislation, we have made it easier to initiate new water fluoridation programs,” it said.
‘Our long-term ambition is to systematically bring fluoridation to more of the country, with a particular emphasis on the most deprived areas, which would benefit most from fluoridation.’
Professor Whitty and colleagues said that if all five-year-olds with drinking water containing less than 0.2 milligrams per liter (mg/l) of fluoride started drinking water increased to 0.7 mg/l by 2021, the number of cavities would decrease . up to 28 percent among the poorest communities.
Fluoridation is considered a low-cost initiative with a high impact on public health because it is passive and does not rely on people actively changing their behavior rather than encouraging them to quit smoking, exercise more or eat healthier.
But some experts have argued that since fluoride is now added to a number of toothpastes and mouthwashes, adding it to tap water is not as beneficial as it once was.
About 25 countries around the world already add fluoride to tap water, including Ireland, most of the US and Australia.