Dentists accuse councillors of ‘peddling myths’ in fluoride row

Alan Johnson: Fluoridating Hull's water supply is a "no-brainer"

The professional body for dentists in the UK has accused councillors opposed to adding fluoride to Hull and East Yorkshire’s water supply of “peddling myths”. The warning came after the councillor in charge of finance at Hull City Council, Phil Webster, said there was no chance of the scheme aimed at tackling tooth decay, which sees 400 under-10s needing hospital extractions every year, happening. 
Coun Webster claimed fluoridation was “too expensive, undemocratic and unproven”– leading the British Dental Association to urge councillors not to “to peddle myths or alternative facts”. The association’s health and science chair Russ Ladwa said there was a “clear scientific consensus” that it worked, adding: 

“If Hull waves a white flag it will be a victory for the professional doom-mongers, that will only discourage communities across England from exploring proposals that could save hundreds of thousands of children and adults from needless pain and distress.”

Hull is not the first to reject the scheme. Southampton explored the proposals for fluoridation and rejected it despite the huge sum of money the NHS wasted on it. The I of M rejected it and so did Portsmouth. These are the relatively recent towns.But they never give up.

They must have wasted millions over the years, money that could have gone to educate parents to look after their children's teeth. They changed attitudes to drinking and driving, cigarette smoking, they changed attitudes to gay marriage. They can convince almost everybody  President trump is ghastly. Why can't they change parents into being responsible for their children's health. It isn't just teeth that suffer from poor diet.

Maybe they don't want to?