Health secretary calls for fluoridation debate

Health secretary Alan Johnson has called for a debate on fluoridation and urged the NHS to consider fluoridating its tap water in areas of poor dental health.

Mr Johnson also confirmed the availability of new government funding to help facilitate local fluoridation schemes.

In total, 14 million pounds per year of extra funding will be available to Strategic Health Authorities who find local communities in favour of the introduction of fluoridation schemes to improve dental health.

The announcement comes off the back of academic studies that show oral health to be better in areas where tap water is already fluoridated.

It has also been found that children in fluoridated Birmingham have half the cases of tooth decay than children in non-fluoridated Manchester.

Mr Johnson praised the use of fluoridation and urged local authorities to engage with communities over its possible expansion.

“There are people who hold strong views on this subject, so it is important that any proposed schemes are fully and widely consulted on,” he illustrated.

Also this week, the Department of Health announced that a new independent virus study has found no evidence of a link between the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine and autism.