While I note your concerns about fluoride in the water supply, fluoridation programmes in our country are common practice, and have been in place for nearly 60 years. Currently, around 6 million people in England already consume fluoridated water, and I have been assured that there have been no cases of water fluoridation causing any ill effects. I understand that a recent report from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and the UK Health Security Agency on water fluoridation found that this process significantly reduces tooth decay. It found that children and young people in areas with high fluoride concentrations in the water supply were 63 per cent less likely to be admitted to hospital for tooth extractions from decay than those in areas with low fluoride levels.
Personally, I am reassured that there is no evidence of health harms from the levels of fluoride used in English schemes, nor the slightly higher levels allowed naturally. Further, the Government is required to monitor the effects of water fluoridation and produce reports on this every four-years, which I hope you find reassuring. The latest report was published in March 2022, and you can read the full report at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-fluoridation-health-monitoring-report-for-england-2022
While this is a government-supported programme, local authorities are responsible for any consultations on fluoridation schemes. Ads such ministers have published a toolkit for local authorities to aid them in carrying out these consultations. However, it is worth noting that the new Health and Care Bill will return responsibility for the fluoridation of water in England from local authorities to the central government, making it easier to expand water fluoridation schemes so that more of the population can benefit from it.
