UK - Chief dental officer: Room for further improvement
Chief dental officer: Room for further improvement
Thursday, 20 Mar 2008 14:02
England and Wales have excellent oral health but more can be done to improve it further, the chief dental officer Dr Barry Cockcroft has said.
Over the last three decades oral health has improved considerably, which Dr Cockcroft attributes to the introduction of fluoride toothpaste in the late 1960s and the growing appreciation of the value of good oral health and a good dental appearance.
But in some areas of the country a large proportion of children under the age of five have at least one decayed, missing or filled tooth.
"We do have excellent oral health but we're not complacent and we think we can do more to improve it even further," he told inthenews.co.uk
"Dental decay is completely preventable if people do the right thing, but it's about getting the knowledge out there to enable people to know what they should do: not to snack at sugary things but to eat them in sort of a little burst and to brush their teeth at least twice a day, especially last thing at night."
Dr Cockcroft added that parents should brush their babies' teeth as soon as they come through and emphasised the need for the education, health and social care sectors to provide cross-society awareness of oral health.
Strategic health authorities are currently considering whether to fluoridate their water supplies to reduce tooth decay, with backers saying the move could strengthen teeth and improve oral health.
This move has been welcomed by many but some campaigners have raised concerns about negative side effects of fluoridation.
However Dr Cockcroft said it would be "immoral" to not take steps to prevent dental disease in children, which will affect them throughout their lives.
"Seventy per cent of America is fluoridated, all water in this country contains some fluoride anyway," he explained.
"There's never been a single validated survey that has linked any damage to general health with a fluoridation scheme.
"The only effect is a reduction in the level of dental decay and that means a reduction in pain, in damage to self esteem. I think we should not deny children the opportunity to have good oral health and to grow into adults with good oral health."
The chief dental officer added that if people have questions about their oral health they can speak to their dentist or consult websites such as www.dentalhealth.org.uk.
"However Dr Cockcroft said it would be "immoral" to not take steps to prevent dental disease in children, which will affect them throughout their lives."
So we are immoral if we object to fluoridation
Thursday, 20 Mar 2008 14:02
England and Wales have excellent oral health but more can be done to improve it further, the chief dental officer Dr Barry Cockcroft has said.
Over the last three decades oral health has improved considerably, which Dr Cockcroft attributes to the introduction of fluoride toothpaste in the late 1960s and the growing appreciation of the value of good oral health and a good dental appearance.
But in some areas of the country a large proportion of children under the age of five have at least one decayed, missing or filled tooth.
"We do have excellent oral health but we're not complacent and we think we can do more to improve it even further," he told inthenews.co.uk
"Dental decay is completely preventable if people do the right thing, but it's about getting the knowledge out there to enable people to know what they should do: not to snack at sugary things but to eat them in sort of a little burst and to brush their teeth at least twice a day, especially last thing at night."
Dr Cockcroft added that parents should brush their babies' teeth as soon as they come through and emphasised the need for the education, health and social care sectors to provide cross-society awareness of oral health.
Strategic health authorities are currently considering whether to fluoridate their water supplies to reduce tooth decay, with backers saying the move could strengthen teeth and improve oral health.
This move has been welcomed by many but some campaigners have raised concerns about negative side effects of fluoridation.
However Dr Cockcroft said it would be "immoral" to not take steps to prevent dental disease in children, which will affect them throughout their lives.
"Seventy per cent of America is fluoridated, all water in this country contains some fluoride anyway," he explained.
"There's never been a single validated survey that has linked any damage to general health with a fluoridation scheme.
"The only effect is a reduction in the level of dental decay and that means a reduction in pain, in damage to self esteem. I think we should not deny children the opportunity to have good oral health and to grow into adults with good oral health."
The chief dental officer added that if people have questions about their oral health they can speak to their dentist or consult websites such as www.dentalhealth.org.uk.
"However Dr Cockcroft said it would be "immoral" to not take steps to prevent dental disease in children, which will affect them throughout their lives."
So we are immoral if we object to fluoridation
posted by Bill at
9:50 AM
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