June 2023 sees the launch of the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry (BASCD) position statement in support of water fluoridation
The British Fluoridation Society
June 2023
First Edition
www.bascd.org
Introduction
The balance of evidence strongly supports community water fluoridation as a safe, effective, and sustainable method of reducing tooth decay. Around a third of children and adults in the UK have tooth decay, yet only 10% of people receive fluoridated water. Community water fluoridation is the most cost-effective and sustainable oral health improvement strategy, and has the potential to reduce oral health inequalities. Water fluoridation should be used as a complementary strategy to other oral health improvement programmes aimed at reducing the prevalence and severity of tooth decay. The purpose of this document is to inform policy makers of the compelling evidence for community water fluoridation and urge the implementation of this intervention on a universal basis to reduce tooth decay in the UK population.
