Fluoride: Drinking Water

(asked on 15th January 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of potential merits of rolling out water fluoridation.


Answered by
Jo Churchill Portrait
Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This question was answered on 27th January 2021

Public Health England (PHE) published a comparative assessment of the effects on dental health of living in a fluoridated area compared to non-fluoridated area in the Water Fluoridation Health monitoring report for England 2018. The report found that water fluoridation is an effective and safe public health measure to reduce the prevalence and severity of dental caries and reduce dental health inequalities. The report is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-fluoridation-health-monitoring-report-for-england-2018

PHE, is required by legislation to monitor the effects of water fluoridation schemes on the health of people living in the areas covered by these arrangements and to produce reports at no greater than four-yearly intervals. The first report was published in 2014 and the second in 2018. They are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-fluoridation-health-monitoring-report-for-england-2014

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-fluoridation-health-monitoring-report-for-england-2018

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