Letter from Professor Richard Johns.

Dear Mr Clegg,
In the cause of economy in the DoH, on ethical grounds and inadequate scientific justification, I feel very strongly that the Coalition government should not allow the Southampton fluoridation project to be "Ring Fenced". It should be abandoned.

Far too much money has been wasted already by a high handed SHA in promoting the fluoridation project in Southampton. Indeed a High Court case is still pending in relation to the conduct of the so called "consultation process" conducted by the SHA.

It is not a widely popular project and certainly the whole philosophy of fluoridation of the public water supply has been seriously questioned by the general public, a number of genuine scientists of high standing, academic dentists as well as those in General Dental Practice.

I understand that the Southampton fluoridation project is being promoted by the DoH as a test case for the widespread introduction of similar enterprises in the North West of the country. I do hope that you will be able to bury the whole sorry fluoridation project in England and not just in Southampton.

With best wishes,
Yours sincerely,
RichardJohns.
Emeritus Professor of Restorative Dentistry,
University of Sheffield.