Dr John Beal: No doubt about the need for water fluoridation.

Poor dental health sparks call for fluoridation of water
Maggie StrattonFLUORIDATION of Yorkshire's water is at the top of the health agenda after a Government warning yesterday about the shocking levels of tooth decay among the region's children.

Children's dental health across the region is so bad that Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson yesterday said "serious consideration" must be given to adding fluoride to drinking water.Children in West Yorkshire have the worst levels of tooth decay, and in South Yorkshire the fourth worst in the country. The Yorkshire region as a whole has the second highest level of rotten, missing or filled teeth in England. Dentists and doctors across Yorkshire have already set down in writing their belief that fluoride is needed to improve dental health in the young.Water companies must fluoridate supplies if strategic health authorities ask them to but the public must also be in support and primary care trusts must hold public consultation on fluoridation.Regional dental officer Dr John Beal said: "A number of primary care trusts have been revisiting their oral health strategies and water fluoridation is for many a theme for improving dental health." Many feared the effect of new NHS dental contracts introduced in April would be to encourage dentists to take only private patients. Dr Beal said it was too early to say whether numbers of children visiting dentists have declined in recent months.But he said preventing decay through improving nutrition and oral hygiene was the priority and he has no doubt about the need for water fluoridation.According to the Chief Medical Health Officer's report, tooth decay is concentrated in deprived areas of Yorkshire.Pure Water campaigners claim there are harmful side effects to fluoridation of drinking supplies and in February 2005 Sheffield's city leaders overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to add fluoride to its tap water.

Ciry leaders overwhelmingly reject fluoridation but this man knows best.