Strategic Health Authority wins praise for fluoride decision
A national alliance of over 60 health organisations has praised South Central Strategic Health Authority for its decision to fluoridate water supplies in Southampton.
The National Alliance for Equity in Dental Health, whose members include the British Medical Association, the Royal Colleges of General Practitioners and Nursing, the British Dental Association and the Faculty of Public Health of the Royal College of Physicians, said the decision would have a bigger impact on dental health in the city than any other measure could possibly achieve.
Speaking for the Alliance, Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, President of the Faculty of Public Health, commented: “The Strategic Health Authority made absolutely the right decision. Four major systematic reviews of the worldwide evidence in the past nine years have confirmed that water fluoridation significantly reduces the amount of tooth decay suffered by children and adults, and is a major step forward for the public's health.”
Professor Richard Parish, Chief Executive of the Royal Society for Public Health, praised the public health teams of both South Central Strategic Health Authority and Southampton City Primary Care Trust for their careful and painstaking evaluation of the evidence on fluoridation.
He said: “Past experience of fluoridation consultations elsewhere has shown that opponents often raise objections which have little foundation in fact. Independent analysis of the claims they made during the Southampton consultation showed them to be similarly seriously flawed. The SHA is to be congratulated for not allowing itself to be blown off course by the strident voices of those who shouted loudest.”
Professor Mike Lennon, Chairman of the British Fluoridation Society, said the South Central SHA board had rightly put the health needs of children first. Tangible benefits to dental health would be seen within five years of the start of the new fluoridation scheme.
He added: “The courage and foresight displayed by the SHA board, sometimes in the face of insults and personal abuse, will have given encouragement to others around the UK who are striving to improve oral health and protect children against dental caries.”
The National Alliance for Equity in Dental Health has pledged to support primary care trusts and strategic health authorities elsewhere in the country that decide to go out to public consultation on plans to fluoridate the water.
Nigel Carter, chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, said it was now vital for the NHS to build on the South Central SHA success story by extending fluoridation to those parts of the country with unacceptably high levels of tooth decay among children.
News that Southampton is to get a fluoridated water supply has coincided with a massive extension of fluoridation in the Australian State of Queensland, and an announcement by the Victorian State government that by the end of 2009 the proportion of local people benefiting from fluoridated water will have risen from 77% to 87%.
“The message is that countries around the world that have seen the benefits of fluoridation, including the UK, the United States and Australia, are now actively engaged in introducing new schemes,” said Professor Lennon. “The scare tactics employed opponents for so long are wearing very thin.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
- The National Alliance for Equity in Dental Health comprises over sixty organisations representing different health professions, as well as a range of primary care trusts and local authorities across the country.
- Water fluoridation is supported by the Royal Colleges of Physicians, Surgeons, General Practitioners and Nursing, as well as by the British Medical Association, the British Dental Association, the Department of Health, the US Public Health Service and the World Health Organisation.
- Three systematic reviews of the worldwide evidence published in the past nine years have all confirmed that fluoridation reduces tooth decay in children. They include the York review (published in the UK in 2002), the US Taskforce review (published in 2002) and the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council review (published in 2007). In addition, the Griffin review (published in the US in 2006) found that fluoridation reduces tooth decay in adults.
- For further information and comment, please contact:
- Sheila Jones MPH, Co-ordinator, The National Alliance for Equity in Dental Health.
Booth Hall Children's Hospital, Manchester M9 7AA
Tel/Fax: 0161 918 5223. Out of hours: 07768 223853. - Paul Castle, Press Officer, The National Alliance for Equity in Dental Health
Tel: 0121-765 4222 or 07860 574447
- Sheila Jones MPH, Co-ordinator, The National Alliance for Equity in Dental Health.
