Scotland - Another expert calls for fluoridation

ALAN RODEN HEALTH REPORTER (aroden@edinburghnews.com) ONE of Edinburgh's leading dental experts today warned that children will continue to be "blighted" by tooth decay unless fluoride is added to the Lothian water supply. Colwyn Jones, consultant in dental public health for NHS Lothian, said youngsters were being failed by the Scottish Parliament's failure to act on the controversial issue. Although fluoride toothpaste has been introduced in nursery schools across the region, Mr Jones said this does not go far enough.
Speaking personally and not on behalf of NHS Lothian, he today called for the ability to force Scottish Water to fluoridate the supply when asked to do so by health boards. Compulsory fluoridation is seen by some experts as the best way of improving Scotland's dental health record, which ranks among the worst in Europe.
But the issue is controversial, because research has linked the chemical to cancer, brittle bones and Alzheimer's disease. Environmental groups and some doctors are opposed to the move, fearful of toxic side effects. The Scottish Executive did consider adding fluoride to the country's water supply, but First Minister Jack McConnell abandoned the plans in 2004.
Mr Jones today said: "Why are we continuing to fail every generation of Scottish children by not introducing this simple, safe, cheap and effective public health measure? "Studies over the past 60 years have consistently shown fluoridation to be safe and effective. "If nothing changes, then unacceptably high levels of tooth decay are likely to continue to blight Scotland for another 60 years."
Latest figures show only 55 per cent of four and five-year-olds in the Lothians have no sign of tooth decay.
The introduction of daily brushing in nursery schools in the Lothians has helped improve the situation over recent years, but according to Mr Jones, an extra 7500 children could be decay-free every year, had the Scottish Parliament introduced fluoridation across the country in 1999.
Around six million people in the UK currently drink water with added fluoride, mainly in England. In Scotland, a small area of Grampian is naturally fluoridated, and there have been a handful of schemes in places such as Wick and Stranraer.
John Davidson, chairman of Lothian Independent Dental Practitioners, today said universal fluoridation would help improve the teeth of children in some of the country's most deprived areas.
"Anything that can be done to reduce tooth decay is going to stop misery for a lot of kids," he said. But Mark Ballard, Green Lothians MSP, said: "Mass medication of the population is not a 21st century answer to dental problems.
"This is a matter of people having the freedom to drink water without worrying about what is in it and what it is doing to their health."
Dr Alison McCallum, director of public health with NHS Lothian, today said the matter will be kept "under review". A Scottish Executive spokeswoman said:
"Ministers looked at the issue of fluoridating the water supply earlier in this parliament and decided not to change the current legislation at this time

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