In an effort to reduce child hospital admissions due to tooth decay, the UK government plans to expand water fluoridation to 1.6 million more people by 2030.
As reported by the BBC, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it would expand fluoridation in north-east England.
It is expected to take around five years to install the required equipment at 11 water treatment works in the area. The government will fund its installation and day-to-day operation, with an estimated cost of £67m over 40 years, resulting in around £200m of social benefits to the region in this time.
According to a government impact statement about the scheme, the social benefits include savings from avoided fillings and “productivity gains” due to fewer days of work missed.
Since the late 1960s, Chester-le-Street, Consett, and Stanley in County Durham, Alnwick, Hexham and Cramlington in Northumberland and North Tyneside, plus Newcastle and Gateshead have been supplied with artificially fluoridated water.
The scheme will now expand to areas including Darlington, Durham, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, South Tyneside, Stockton, Sunderland.
Alongside other measures, including the government’s national supervised toothbrushing programme, the expansion of water fluoridation is promising for children’s oral health in particular.
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