§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has undertaken into the possible effects on the health of the elderly of fluoridating water. [151769]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonFluoride is ingested throughout life as a normal component of food and water. Many of the numerous published studies of the effects of fluoride in animal tests and in human populations shed light on the effects of lifetime ingestion of fluoride. They include studies on diseases which are commoner at older ages, such as cancer and hip fractures. There are no known adverse effects on health outcomes from the usual range of fluoride intakes in the United Kingdom. There is however growing evidence from a number of studies that the protection from tooth decay derived from the fluoridation of water continues into old age.