British Fluoridation Society

British Fluoridation Society The British Fluoridation Society was founded in 1969 to work for improved dental health in the UK th

Interesting article in FT this morning from Anjana Ahuja, where she fairly says re Robert f Kennedy junior "He has also ...
21/11/2024

Interesting article in FT this morning from Anjana Ahuja, where she fairly says re Robert f Kennedy junior "He has also campaigned to remove fluoride from water, a decades-old measure that helps to prevent tooth decay. While there has been some debate about what level of fluoridation is needed..... the consensus is that current, low levels do more good than harm. "

and she goes on "As Gloria Butler, the minority leader in Georgia’s state senate, said of Trump’s pick: “If you like rotten teeth, polio and measles spreading through our children like wildfire, Robert F Kennedy Jr is your man.” "

By the way, looks like some stocks would welcome more decay:

Henry Schein shares tracked for their best day since 2022 on Monday.

Directors of Public Health strongly support fluoridationThe Association of Directors of Public Health, the representativ...
30/03/2023

Directors of Public Health strongly support fluoridation
The Association of Directors of Public Health, the representative body for Directors of Public Health (DsPH) in the UK, has released (March 2023) a statement which leads consensus on child oral health, and includes a strong endorsement of fluoride in water:” The Government must act urgently to reverse the increasing inequality in child oral health in England”… including to “Increase the number of water fluoridation schemes, ….. the single most effective public health measure for reducing tooth decay rates”.

Last week, a survey of oral health in five-year-old children, produced as part of the National Dental Epidemiology Programme, found that in 2022, over 35% of children in areas of deprivation experienced dentinal decay in comparison to only 13.5% in more affluent areas.

Good news from the US National Toxicology Programme which has now “removed the hazard classification of fluoride” from i...
21/03/2023

Good news from the US National Toxicology Programme which has now “removed the hazard classification of fluoride” from its updated report.

The .gov means it's official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

In July the British Fluoridation Society (BFS) appointed dental care professionals (DCPs) Sharon Walker and Sakina Needh...
16/09/2022

In July the British Fluoridation Society (BFS) appointed dental care professionals (DCPs) Sharon Walker and Sakina Needham to its Executive Committee. Here they are interviewed in the British Dental Journal.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41407-022-1610-7
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41407-022-1610-7.pdf

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01/09/2022

Trinity College Dublin researchers collaborating with University College London have demonstrated for the first time the low environmental footprint of water fluoridation compared to other preventive measures for tooth decay: Brett Duane, Alexandra Lyne, Ray Parle, Paul Ashley. The environmental impact of community caries prevention - part 3: water fluoridation. British Dental Journal, 2022; 233 (4): 303 DOI: 10.1038/s41415-022-4251-5

The BFS welcomes new public opinion survey supporting water fluoridation in ScotlandThe British Fluoridation Society (BF...
13/08/2022

The BFS welcomes new public opinion survey
supporting water fluoridation in Scotland
The British Fluoridation Society (BFS) welcomes the findings of its latest academic survey which confirms public support in Scotland for water fluoridation to improve oral health and combat dental health inequalities.
Today, no-one in Scotland benefits from artificial water fluoridation and there have been no recent reports published about public opinion on the issue.
Published in the British Dental Journal (BDJ) this month (August), the new report, commissioned by the BFS, titled: Public attitudes to water fluoridation in Scotland - Jones, C., Lowry, R. & Brophy, R. Br Dent J (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-022-4506-1, contains the results of a robust public opinion survey on community water fluoridation to address this absence.
The survey set out to gauge public attitudes in three urban areas of Scotland to determine respondents' sources of information, awareness of the current fluoridation status of their local water supply and attitude to community water fluoridation. It was conducted using a face-to-face interview with 410 people of mixed ages and gender.
Colwyn Jones, honorary senior lecturer at Edinburgh University, an executive member of the British Fluoridation Society and lead author of the report, said: “The results demonstrate few people have heard recent news about water fluoridation, a minority of people believe they already have fluoridated water, and as in the rest of the UK, the majority of the Scottish population support community water fluoridation.
“Fluoride occurs naturally and on The Scottish Water website, I discovered that my home water supply, along with about 500,000 Edinburgh residents, is shared with the Scottish (Holyrood) Parliament. Last year it had a mean level of 0.12ppm fluoride. This natural level of the mineral fluoride, shared by Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) would need to be increased by a factor of around nine, to reduce tooth decay.
“However, owing not to dithering, but deliberate government inaction, no one benefits from water fluoridation in Scotland. The 2018 Scottish Oral Health Improvement Plan stated, ‘Although we recognise that water fluoridation could make a positive contribution to improvements in oral health, the practicalities of implementing this means we have taken the view that alternative solutions are more achievable.’ We belatedly await publication of these ‘alternative solutions.’”
This latest study follows from one conducted in Northeast England in 2021, titled: Public attitudes to water fluoridation in the North East of England - Lowry RJ, Brophy R, Lennon MA. Br Dent J 2021; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-021-3074-0).
Dr Ray Lowry, secretary to the British Fluoridation Society, explains: “When this Scottish study is placed in the context of other sufficiently robust national surveys conducted over the years, it is clear the level of opposition to water fluoridation remains consistently low. This is contrary to what opponents would have us believe.
“If seeking the opinions of the public is done in an open and unbiased way, the support for fluoridation remains high and this is now confirmed in Scotland. It is important that water fluoridation has the continued support of the public, but it is not enough to take it for granted. For its success to be achieved for the many, we need to ensure sure everyone understands the health benefits.”
Barry Cockroft, former Chief Dental Officer for England, and chair of the British Fluoridation Society, adds: “Scotland was once a pioneer in trying to implement water fluoridation schemes, unfortunately none were achieved. We hope that policy makers north of the border will now renew their efforts to introduce one of the best interventions to improve oral health now they know how out of step they have been with public opinion; it is telling that a considerable proportion of Scottish residents assumed this had all been done many years ago.”
For more information on the BFS, go to: https://bfsweb.org/

59% reductionin hospital admissions for children’s dental extractions in fluoridated areas (PHE 2018)6 million people in the UK are served by water fluoridation schemes.68% reductionin children’s hospital admissions for dental extractions in the most deprived areas52% lowerodds of 5 year olds in...

13/08/2022

The British Fluoridation Society commissioned a public opinion survey in Scotland: It confirms a high level of support from the general public living in three major conurbations north of the border (Public attitudes to water fluoridation in Scotland Br Dent J 2022; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-022-4506-1). Theres also an editorial: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-022-4560-8

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12/07/2022

The British Fluoridation Society appoints new Committee Members

The British Fluoridation Society (BFS) is pleased to welcome Sharon Walker and Sakina Needham to its Executive Committee.
Sharon Walker has worked in dentistry for more than 30 years, starting her career as a dental nurse in general practice and going onto work with the Community Dental Service and leading its Oral Health Improvement Team.
Sharon has had a varied career incorporating clinical practice, teaching and public health experience. She chaired the National Oral Health Promotion Group (NOHPG) from 2013 to 2016 and has a keen interest in dental public health. She completed a Masters degree in health and social care in 2020 and continues to be an active advocate for oral health and reducing inequalities within the Bradford and Airedale District.
Sharon said: “I am delighted to be joining the BFS Executive at this exciting time with the changes to the 2022 Health and Care Act. I hope to bring my knowledge and experience of working within the oral health field with the aim to drive forward and support the water fluoridation agenda. Community water fluoridation is one the most effective ways to reduce dental inequalities and benefits both adults and children’s oral health. Everyone deserves a healthy smile.”
Sakina Needham has been a registered dental care professional (DCP) for 15 years, where she has expanded her scope of practice in private, NHS, community and voluntary settings mostly in the Lincolnshire area.
Throughout her career, Sakina has developed a passion for educating and supporting children and their parents on their journey to better oral health.
She explains: “I have spent the last five years developing my skills as a mentor and tutor and have found a home with a leading training academy teaching dental nurses and dental practice managers, based in Cambridgeshire.
“I am honoured to be joining the BFS Executive Committee and hope to bring a deeply passionate and well-experienced energy that will continue to highlight the importance of fluoridation in our communities and I hope to encourage more dental nurses to join us in our public message.”
The British Fluoridation Society was founded in 1969 to work for improved dental health in the UK through the introduction of community water fluoridation schemes. Primarily its role educates and co-ordinates medical, dental, educational, and administrative efforts to promote the improvement of dental health by securing the optimum fluoride content of water supplies (one part per million) in areas where high levels of tooth decay remain a public health problem.
Welcoming Sharon and Sakina on board, Dr Barry Cockcroft CBE and BFS chair, said: “This is an exciting time to be joining the BFS Executive Committee. I am delighted to welcome Sharon and Sakina to the team. They bring a diverse range of expertise and practical knowledge, which will be of great benefit to our work as move forward in our commitment to educate and encourage more communities to adopt water fluoridation as a safe means of reducing dental health inequalities in the UK.”

The Faculty of Dental Surgeons (FDS) of the Royal College of Surgeons of England has issued a statement about children's...
13/05/2022

The Faculty of Dental Surgeons (FDS) of the Royal College of Surgeons of England has issued a statement about children's oral health. It includes the phrase: "it is important that we quickly expand water fluoridation schemes across England." https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/news-and-events/media-centre/press-releases/the-fds-at-the-rcs-eng-comment-on-childhood-tooth-extractions/

The Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of England has issued the following comment in response to the publication on 10th May of childhood tooth extraction figures for 0-19 year-olds in 2020-21.

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