25 September 2008
Health professionals and campaigners are at odds over plans to add fluoride to the tap water of around 200,000 residents in and around Southampton. The local primary care trust insists fluoridation could help to dramatically improve oral health in the city, particularly among children, the BBC reports. But campaigners argue that it could cause tooth discolouration and lead to other health problems such as dental fluorosis and irritable bowel syndrome. The proposal from Southampton Primary Care Trust comes after Health Secretary Alan Johnson called for fluoride to be added to more water supplies across the UK. He said a fluoridation programme would help to address inequalities in dental health and reduce tooth decay among poorer communities. The mineral is already added to water supplies in Birmingham and Newcastle. But Ann Richards, a member of Hampshire Against Fluoridation, insisted: "There has been no examination of the population to determine what it is doing." According to the British Dental Health Foundation, fluoride can strengthen tooth enamel and reduce the amount of acid produced by bacteria on teeth.
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