Date published: 2008/02/03
The BBC says:
Health Secretary Alan Johnson is to call this week for fluoride to be added to Britain's water supplies.
Mr Johnson will say that fluoridation is an "effective and relatively easy way" to reduce tooth decay among children in poorer areas.
Critics say excessive fluoride can cause discolouring of the teeth and pitting of the enamel.
Six million people in England, mainly in the North-east and Midlands, receive water with added fluoride.
But the government is keen to expand that across the country.
It has the support of the British Dental Association, which has argued that targeted water fluoridation would, at a stroke, dramatically improve oral health among the needy.
...
In 2003, MPs approved legislation to make it easier for fluoride to be added to drinking water in England and Wales.Few water companies have done so for fear of legal action by anti-fluoride campaigners.
Opponents point to studies which have linked high levels of fluoride to bone cancer and brittle bone disease.
They also argue that too much fluoride can be counter-productive, damaging and discolouring enamel in a condition known as fluorosis.
They say reducing sugar intake and regular brushing is far more effective.
Great, the entire country is going to be mass medicated just because a bunch of "needy" people might benefit and are incapable of looking after their own health. As the article manages to point out right at the end, reducing sugar intake is a far more sensible idea.
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