The fluoridation of water in Bradford would bring benefits for the population, according to a new oral health action plan.

Bradford and Airedale Teaching Primary Care Trust will present its draft oral health action plan to a meeting of Bradford Council's Health Improvement Committee tomorrow.

Key to the plan is the need for water fluoridation, which the tPCT believes would optimise exposure to fluoride and therefore reduce tooth decay.

The report says: "If water fluoridation is found to be feasible in Yorkshire and Humber, the tPCT would request the Strategic Health Authority to carry out a public consultation exercise to assess local support for such a measure."

In addition, the action plan says the PCT will look at the feasibility of fluoride varnish for prevention amongst vulnerable groups and those with high levels of disease, and milk fluoridation in schools might be considered in Bradford and Airedale, dependent on progress regarding water fluoridation.

Other key areas of the plan include improving the diet and reducing the sugar intake of children, which will include supporting dental practices to become health-promoting practices and the extension of current schemes such as the Smile with the Prophet mosque education programme, which will be extended from Bradford into Keighley.

The tPCT says it will carry out a full adult oral health survey so it can assess the needs of the adult population.

The tPCT also makes a commitment to reduce dento-facial injuries by increasing access to affordable, effective custom-made gum shields, to update information and training for first aid dental injuries and address facial injury prevention due to binge drinking in urban centres.

Other items included in the plan include tobacco control measures to improve oral health, the continued provision of oral health promotion for vulnerable groups and support provided in childcare settings.

The Health Improvement Committee will be asked to consider any resolutions it may wish to make in relation to the information provided.

Today, John Beal, regional Dental Officer for NHS Yorkshire and the Humber, said: "NHS Yorkshire and the Humber has not received any requests from Primary Care Trusts in the region to carry out a consultation regarding fluoridation.

"There are therefore no immediate plans to carry out a consultation.

"It would be the responsibility of the primary care trusts to consider the need for fluoridation for their populations and work with NHS Yorkshire and the Humber."

  • The impact of new dental contracts in the Bradford and Airedale area has actually increased the number of NHS dentists, new figures reveal.
A total of 209 dentists across the four former Primary Care Trust areas have signed up to the deal offered in April.

A spokesman for Bradford and Airedale Primary Care Trust said: "The PCT and its predecessor organisations have all worked very hard to improve access to dentistry for patients. We know that some people still find it hard to get an NHS dentist and the PCT remains committed to continuing to improve provision.

"A small number of dentists chose to move completely into private practice at April 2006. This has freed up resources which the PCT used to recommission additional NHS places from other dental practices."

e-mail: claire.lomax@bradford.newsquest.co.uk

THE LONG-RUNNING DEBATE

Telegraph & Argus readers were up in arms about proposals by Yorkshire Water to put fluoride into the district's water supplies 13 years ago.

A telephone poll commissioned by the T&A in 1993 gave fluoridisation an overwhelming thumbs-down.

Only 142 people wanted it - with a staggering 3,745 saying no.

It was a precursor to a mass public consultation held by Yorkshire Water in 1994. Like the T&A poll, it showed the public was firmly against fluoridated water supplies.

The company received 4,209 letters opposing fluoridisation and just four in favour.

The tidal wave of protest continued until April 12, 1995, when Yorkshire Water decided it would not add fluoride to tap water.

Although that ended that particular row over whether the chemical should be added to drinking water, most knew the debate would one day resurface.

For it was not the first time campaigners - who say fluoridisation is mass medication and has been shown to cause ill health - had a battle on their hands.

In the early 1960s, Bradford Water Committee pledged to wait for a national lead before deciding whether fluoride should be added to the water. But in 1976, Bradford Health Authority voted to allow fluoride to be put into water supplies, although plans never came to fruition.

In 1992, Bradford councillors voted two to one against fluoridation.

Experts claim fluoride benefits the teeth of children up to 12 years old. It would cut dental decay in Yorkshire, they say, by 50 per cent over the next 20 to 30 years.

Opponents claim evidence that fluoride can increase the risk of cancer and heart disease.