Earl Baldwin of Bewdleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answers on 5 March 1997 (WA 138) and 12 November 1997 (WA 34), whether they will now cite the major controlled studies relied on to support (a) the effectiveness; and (b) the safety of water fluoridation. [HL673]
§ Baroness Jay of PaddingtonThe reviews which were listed in my reply of 12 November at columnsWA 34–35 include an appropriate list of references.
Earl Baldwin of Bewdleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answers by the Baroness Jay of Paddington on 18 December 1997 (WA 103), on what grounds they are prepared to disregard the recommendation contained in the World Health Organisation Technical Report Series 846, Fluorides and oral health (WHO, 1994) to "be aware of the total fluoride exposure in the population before introducing any new fluoride programme", in assuming the extent of this exposure without attempting to measure it. [HL674]
§ Baroness Jay of PaddingtonWe understand that this was not a specific recommendation of the report, but we are taking relevant sections of the report into account, in developing our policy on fluoridation.
Earl Baldwin of Bewdleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Jay of Paddington of 18 December 1997 (WA 103), on what basis have they assumed:
- (a) that usage of topical fluoride must be low in areas of high tooth decay, when it is known that dietary and other factors can also account for tooth decay; and
- (b) that exposure to fluoride from other sources referred to in the World Health Organisation Technical Report Series 846, Fluorides and oral health (WHO, 1994) can be safely disregarded. [HL675]
§ Baroness Jay of PaddingtonStudies have shown that the benefits of topical fluoride outweigh negative influences. When planning fluoridation schemes we would expect health authorities to review existing sources of fluoride intended to reduce tooth decay.