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67
Fluoridation of Water Supplies.—In recent years dental decay
has increased especially among the younger age groups and it
has been found that a minute quantity of fluorine assists the
formation of healthy teeth and reduces the incidence of decay.
Authoritatively, it is suggested that fluoridation of public water
supplies to the level of one p.p.m. of fluorine although not altering
the colour, taste or smell of the water, would be sufficient to reduce
the incidence of dental decay. This suggestion has raised a storm
of controversy, especially on the grounds of "mass medication" but
when one considers that water supplies in towns like Colchester,
Slough and South Shields already contain fluorine in excess of
this amount and that fluorine in chemical combination as fluoride
is found as a trace element in many foods such as vegetables, meat,
cereals, fruit, fish and tea etc., this objection cannot really be
sustained. Again, in some quarters fluoridation has been opposed
on grounds of expense, but it has been estimated that a reduction
of one-fifth in existing dental decay would more than justify the
cost.
It is common practice in many parts of America to introduce
fluorine into the domestic water system in the form of sodium silicofluorine
and Eire has already considered introducing legislation to
enable public water supplies to be similarly treated.
Following a Report in 1953 on fluoridation of water supplies
issued by the United Kingdom Mission to North America, study
areas in England, Wales and Scotland were selected along with
appropriate controls to implement recommendations contained in
the Report. This was some five years ago and the results obtained
have served only to corroborate the views of the British Dental
Association as expressed to the Guillebaud Committee when it was
investigating possible economies in the Natonal Health Services.
Improvements accruing as a result of the treatment of water
supplies by fluoride was most noticeable in those children who had
been subjected to such supplies for the whole or greater part of
their lives and with teeth which were calcified in that period.
Briefly, for children of 3 years there was a reduction in caries of
66 per cent., for 4-year-olds the reduction was 57 per cent, and for
the 5-year-olds it was 50 per cent. As expected, reductions recorded
in the 6- and 7-year-olds, were somewhat less, namely, 26 and 14
per cent, respectively. The Control areas also showed reductions
but only of the order of 2 per cent, to 7 per cent, in a random
pattern.
Posssible adverse effects on health generally were countered
by requests to medical practitioners in the study areas to report
any cases suspected to be the result of fluoridation with specific