Fluoride the benefits
Fluoride occurs naturally in our drinking water and some foods. Where fluoride is present in our drinking water at a certain concentration it confers a benefit to the tooth such that the enamel surface of the tooth is much more resistant to tooth decay.
Research studies of the teeth of children living in areas where the concentration of fluoride in the drinking water is very low, show that these children suffer more decay, toothache and extractions than children from an area where the drinking water contain optimum fluoride levels. Children in areas such as the Crewe and Nantwich area and Birmingham have almost half the levels of tooth decay than children from Liverpool, Birkenhead and Manchester.
It is not just the children that benefit, adults who have drunk water containing the right level of fluoride, enjoy better dental health than those who have never done so.
The concentration of fluoride in water can be easily topped up to provide the best results for teeth. The people responsible are the water authorities and health authorities. By writing to these authorities and our MP we should be able to help decrease tooth decay in the future.
In practice fluoridated water means: -
- Less toothache
- Fewer general anaesthetics for tooth extraction
- More children keeping their permanent teeth into adulthood
- Better looking teeth because they are not affected by decay.
For more information contact:
The British Fluoridation Society
Department of Clinical Dental Sciences
School of Dentistry University of Liverpool
P.O Box 147
Pembroke Place
Liverpool
L69 3DX
Tel: 0151 706 5216
