§ Mr. Lawrenceasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has about the extent of the reduction in dental caries in children's teeth over the past 10 years in the Isle of Wight.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergI am aware that there have been toothpaste trials in the Isle of Wight over the past 10 years and that a summary of one study has been published in the "Journal of Dental Research", June 1981.
§ Mr. Lawrenceasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the areas in the United Kingdom in which a study has been conducted on the incidence of dental caries in children's teeth; which areas have shown a reduction of dental caries; and which areas have been artificially fluoridated.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergMany health authorities have carried out epidemiological surveys to measure the prevalence of dental caries in children. Surveys have also been carried out by independent researchers. While there is a general indication from the results that there has been a marked reduction in the prevalence of dental caries over recent years and this reduction is greater in those areas where water supplies are fluoridated, the Department does not collect centrally comprehensive information on all such studies.