§ Mr. Pavittasked the Minister of Health in view of the anti-fluoridation propaganda recently circulated to all hon. Members, what action he is taking to give further publicity to his policy on fluoridation.
§ Mr. K. RobinsonI have recently sent to mayors and chairmen of local health authorities copies of my statement to the Press on 11th November in which I sought to clear up some common misunderstandings and to help authorities in exercising their judgment on this most important public health measure. The statement is as follows
On 3rd August I issued a circular urging all local health authorities to make arrangements for the fluoridation of public water supplies. Since then a number of them have expressed doubts about the merits of fluoridation. As Minister of Health I feel bound to state as clearly and strongly as I can why these doubts seem to me both unfounded and misguided.Why is fluoridation necessary? It is to combat the wholly excessive amount of dental decay in this country. In 1964 over 6½ million permanent teeth of school children were filled and another million had to be extracted. What all this dental disease means in terms of pain and disturbance it is difficult to imagine. Fluoridation can make much of it unnecessary and in future generations the whole community, adults as well as children will benefit. It is our plain public duty to act now.Some say that fluoridation is harmful. This is not so. The effect of fluoridation on health has been investigated all over the world and for many years. Every allegation of harm has been carefully examined but not one single instance of harm resulting from fluoridation of water at the recommended level has ever been proved. No Minister of Health would consider advocating a health measure of this nature unless he were absolutely convinced of its safety.We are told that fluoridation means mass medication. But fluoridation is not medication. Fluoride is present naturally in most water and provides an important constituent for growing teeth. Fluoridation builds better teeth; but in most parts of this country there is too little fluoride in the water supply, and it is this deficiency we need to remedy. Fluoridation is simple, safe and effective, and as such one of the most useful preventive 360W health measures which medical and dental science have so far made available to us in our fight against dental decay.Some people object that fluoridation infringes personal liberties. But we must look at this in its proper perspective. Fluoridation is a tried and tested public health measure which cannot possibly hurt anyone, and which it is not practicable to provide other than by the public water supply. As has been said elsewhere, it is not the erosion of personal freedom which is at stake, but the erosion of millions of teeth and the resultant suffering and misery of thousands of children which fluoridation would go far to prevent. My support for fluoridation cloaks no sinister designs on personal liberties. The only consideration which has influenced me is the desire to ensure that no child is denied the benefits which those in some more fortunate parts of the country have always enjoyed, and which can now be made available to all.It is said that there are alternatives which make fluoridation unnecessary. This is not so. Correct diet, dental hygiene and sustained dental health education are all important. But they are not enough. Nor are fluoride tablets an effective alternative. There is no practical way of ensuring that hundreds of thousands of children take them day after day, year after year. Even if this were a practical alternative, which it is not, it would be more expensive in administration.We know that in areas where the drinking water is not deficient in fluoride the teeth of adults as well as children are vastly better than elsewhere; we know that fluorides are a natural constituent of our bodies, of our diet and of our water supplies; and we know that waters with fluoride added to the requisite level are indistinguishable in every respect from waters containing it naturally.In the knowledge of these facts I should be failing in my duty as Minister of Health it I did not strongly press for action. Again I urge all local health authorities which have not already done so to arrange for the necessary fluoridation of their water supplies.Copies of the statement are available in the library.