BDA calls for wider access to water fluoridation

The British Dental Association has called on the government to improve the limited access to water fluoridation in many parts of the country.

A recent survey from the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry has shown that only ten percent of the UK's population have access to fluoridated water, despite evidence suggesting that children living in fluoridated areas have around half the rate of tooth decay of those living in non-fluoridated areas.

The report also indicated that 60,683 children and adolescents in England were admitted to hospital in 2012/13 to have multiple decayed teeth removed under general anaesthetic, costing the NHS at least 27.6 million pounds.

According to the BDA, fluoridation could be a useful tool in addressing this issue. It urged the government to take steps to address what it perceives to be "misinformation and scaremongering" around fluoridation that is not supported by evidence.

BDA scientific adviser Professor Damien Walmsley said: "Water fluoridation is safe and is one of the cheapest and most effective measures to reduce unacceptable inequalities of tooth decay."

This comes after the organisation recently called on policymakers to do more to break the current link between higher incomes and better oral health.