British Society of Paediatric Dentistry
and the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the
Royal College of Surgeons

British Society of Paediatric Dentistry: More deprived communities benefit substantially from water fluoridation

In a statement issued in 2014 the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry says that water fluoridation results in substantial reductions in tooth decay and its consequences, such as abscesses, toothache, tooth extraction and the need for general anaesthetic and hospital admission.

The BASPD says that whilst the widespread use of fluoride-containing toothpaste has reduced the burden of dental caries in the UK, the problem of tooth decay remains particularly severe in more deprived communities, which benefit substantially from water fluoridation.  The Society supports the fluoridation of public water supplies “in communities where the burden of dental decay is severe enough to warrant this public health measure and where fluoridation is technically feasible”.

Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons: Encourages local authorities to introduce water fluoridation schemes

The Faculty of Dental Surgery says water fluoridation is proven to make a significant difference to children’s oral health.  Having welcomed Public Health England’s 2014 health monitoring report for England showing that children in fluoridated local authorities have less tooth decay than those in non-fluoridated ones, the Faculty called on the government to “encourage all local authorities to introduce water fluoridation schemes to reduce the significant inequalities in children’s oral health across the country”.