Technical and Scientific Facts

The format of this page is

• A summary of the key points relevant up to 2020
• An online and printable version of the 2012/3 publication “one in a million”
• A summary of the main points raised by more recent papers and reports
• Access to a list of the key papers and reports published since 2012/3
• Access to an archive of other reports etc.

• Worldwide there are many thousands of fluoridation schemes in operation – the earliest dating from 1945. Water suppliers have therefore accumulated a wealth of practical experience in managing the fluoridation process safely and efficiently.
• The fluoride materials used in water fluoridation schemes are derived from the same minerals in rocks that give rise to naturally occurring fluoride in water that passes over the rocks.
• The fluoride ion produced from artificial fluoridation behaves identically to the fluoride ion naturally present in water supplies. It means that, chemically, there is no difference between artificial and natural fluoridation.
• In the UK, the fluoridation process is governed by a detailed code of practice issued by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), which is responsible for regulating drinking water quality.

• The Drinking Water Inspectorate updated their detailed Code of Practice in 2016. The Code covers issues such as quality standards for chemicals, storage and dosing arrangements, monitoring, built-in fail-safe features, staff training, consumer information and reporting arrangements.