STOPPING THE ROT

FLUORIDE EXISTS naturally in all water supplies. In some areas, such as Hartlepool, the concentration is high enough to reduce tooth decay by about a half (one part of fluoride per million parts of water). In other areas, the natural level can be topped up.

About 5.5 million people in the UK drink artificially fluoridated water, mainly in the West Midlands and the North-east. In Sandwell, West Midlands, where fluoride was added in 1988, tooth decay in five-year-olds has fallen by half while in Blackburn in the North-west, which does not have fluoridation, it has remained unchanged.

A recent survey by the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry, found that residents of the West Midlands enjoyed the best dental health in England.

A mineral found naturally in soil and water, fluoride strengthens the tooth enamel, making it more resistant to attack by the acids formed from sugar. It is most effective during the development of teeth in childhood, when it is taken up into the structure of the tooth enamel itself.