§ Earl Baldwin of Bewdley asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 31 January 2001 ( WA 66), and in view of the promotional role of the British Fluoridation Society, what financial contributions they have made or will make to the society for the years 2003—04 and 2004—5; and whether they intend to continue to make contributions; and [HL3247]
§ Whether they have yet decided whether or not to provide funding to enable the York review of water fluoridation, conducted in 2000 by the National Health Service Centre of Reviews and Dissemination, to be incorporated in the Cochrane Library, together with future fluoridation studies as they become available. [HL3248]
6WA§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner):The School of Dental Sciences at the University of Newcastle has today announced the results of a study comparing the bioavailability (absorption) of fluoride in water in which fluoride occurs naturally with artificially fluoridated water. The report of the study, copies of which have been placed in the Library, shows that the researchers found no evidence for any differences between the absorption of fluoride ingested in artificially fluoridated drinking water and in drinking water in which the fluoride is present naturally at fluoride concentrations close to one part per million. Nor did they find any evidence for difference between the absorption of fluoride from hard and soft waters at these fluoride concentrations.
These findings provide further reassurance of the safety of fluoridated water. All water contains some fluoride and about half a million people in an area stretching from Hartlepool in the north-east to Essex receive naturally fluoridated water at concentrations close to the one part per million level at which water is artificially fluoridated. No health effects, other than enhanced resistance to tooth decay, have been detected in residents of this naturally fluoridated area.
In the report Water Fluoridation and Health, published in September 2002, the Medical Research Council made the investigation of the bioavailability of fluoride its first priority for further research. With the favourable outcome of this study the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Dental Officer have been able to complete their advice on the implications of the MRC report for policy on fluoridation.
The advice confirms that government should continue to support research to strengthen the evidence base on the benefits to oral health and safety of fluoridation. In this connection CMO/CDO recommend that the research community is consulted about:
developing a scientifically robust design for evaluation of potential new fluoridation schemes under the Water Act 2003;
investigating cancer rates in relation to fluoride in water;
other research projects that would contribute to the evidence base—eg dental fluorosis, adult dental health, impact of water fluoridation on quality of life; and economic impact; and
monitoring fluoride exposure using data already collected as part of the national diet and nutrition survey and future such surveys to be used to monitor fluoride exposure.
Further research on fluoridation would need to be considered against other priority calls on the Department of Health's research and development budget.
The favourable outcome to the research on bioavailability has also enabled us to take decisions on the management of research information on fluoridation. The department already funds the National Primary Care Research and Development 7WA Centre at Manchester University. The oral health unit, which has been established within the centre, will be responsible for maintaining a national information base on research studies on fluoridation taking account of the report of the systematic review of water fluoridation carried out by York University. The unit is associated with the Cochrane Oral Health Centre which is also sited at the University of Manchester.
The function of the British Fluoridation Society is now to promote the benefits of the fluoridation of water in reducing tooth decay. To this end we have allocated £85,000 to the society in 2003–04 and have committed £87,000 for 2004–05.