§ 47. Captain Pilkingtonasked the Minister of Health how far it is intended to extend the experiments of fluoride in drinking water.
§ The Minister of Health (Mr. Derek Walker-Smith)No further demonstrations on the lines of those now proceeding are contemplated, but my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I will, in due course, consider what arrangements are desirable for extending fluoridation to other areas where the water is deficient in fluoride.
§ Captain PilkingtonHas there been general acceptance of these experiments? Is my right hon. and learned Friend aware that when I last raised this matter I received a postcard stating that I was a secret mass poisoner probably in the pay of the I.C.I.?
§ Mr. Walker-SmithI am sorry that anybody should make those imputations against my hon. and gallant Friend. The work which is taking place is not precisely experiments but is rather in the nature of demonstrations or studies, which certainly are serving a very useful purpose.
§ Dr. SummerskillWhat is the measure of success of fluoridation?
§ Mr. Walker-SmithThe right hon. Lady will be familiar with the experimental work previously carried out in the United States of America. From that, it appears that the fluoridation of water can reduce dental caries by up to 60 per cent.
§ Dr. SummerskillDo the reports the Minister has had indicate that it has been successful in this country?
§ Mr. Walker-SmithThe four studies to which I referred are still continuing under the supervision of technical officers of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government. The general trend of our information is not dissimilar from that to which I have referred.