Researchers have found that adding fluoride to water I need little Health teeth sons.
The scientists said water fluoridation could be seen as an effective way of reducing the £1.7 billion £1.7 billion cost the UK’s National Health Service spends on tooth decay annually.
However, the team of scientists found that the benefits of fluoride in water appear to be less than previously observed in studies conducted half a century ago when fluoridated toothpaste was not widely available in the UK.
Despite their findings, published in the journal Public Health Research, the scientists have recommended water fluoridation, but in parallel with other measures to protect the dental health of children, especially vulnerable children who are more susceptible to tooth decay.
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Dr Michaela Goodwin, from the University of Manchester and lead researcher on the project, explained: ‘While water fluoridation is likely to be cost-effective and help improve oral health, it should be carefully considered alongside other options. , particularly since the disease is concentrated in clusters.
Nearly 3,000 children in Cumbria were followed up for six years as part of the Cumbria Dental Assessment – An Interventional Study of the Health Benefits of Fluoride funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The children were divided into two groups at two sites: one in West Cumbria, which saw the introduction of water fluoridation in 2013, and the other in the rest of Cumbria, whose water does not contain fluoride.
In West Cumbria, the group of youngest children were born after water fluoridation was introduced, meaning they were exposed to the full effect of the procedure.
The oldest group was around five years old when fluoride was reintroduced into their water supply, meaning they essentially benefited from brushing their teeth with fluoridated water.
In addition to collecting data on dental exams, the researchers also collected information on children who participated in a study in which participants were given fluoridated water without mentioning it.
The results showed that in the youngest group, 17.4% of the children in the areas with fluoridated water experienced cavities, had to have fillings or lost their baby teeth, compared with 21.4% of the children. in the same age group in areas that contain fluoride Fluoridated water – revealing a modest four percentage point reduction in caries incidence.
Meanwhile, 19.1 percent of children in the oldest group in fluoridated areas had cavities, had to have fillings, or lost some teeth permanently, compared with 21.9 percent of children in areas without fluoridation. ‘water.
While tooth decay in children has declined significantly over the past 50 years, recent statistics revealed that one in four five-year-olds (23%) in 2019 suffered from tooth decay.
Dr Goodwin said: ‘Caries is an unusual disease which is why it is so important to take steps to treat it. Having children’s teeth extracted under general anesthesia poses a risk to their health and is the most common reason for children between the ages of 5 and 9 to have general anesthesia.
He added: “Caries is painful and can affect sleep patterns, learning, attention and many aspects of overall health. But more questions remain and we hope to follow up on these children for the long term.”
