Written question asked by Earl Baldwin of Bewdley (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon (Labour) on Thursday, 12 July 2007.

Fluoridation

Question: Further to the Written Answer by Lord Warner on 24 July 2006 (WA 240) (a) what progress they have made with their own research programme into water fluoridated following the recommendations of the United States National Research Council in March 2006; and (b) whether they will follow the United States example in advising parents to avoid fluoridated water when reconstituting infant formula for bottle-fed infants, in view of the National Research Council’s finding that ““on a per-body-weight basis, infants and young children have approximately three to four times greater exposure than do adults””.

Answer: The United States National Research Council’s findings suggested that mixing powdered infant formula with fluoridated water might increase the chance of a child developing dental fluorosis in their permanent teeth. Dental fluorosis is characterised by a flecking, or more rarely a mottling, of teeth, which may give some people concern about the appearance of their teeth. It does not, however, affect the extra resistance to dental decay that is provided by exposure to fluoride. In light of these findings, the department is funding a research project involving the use of intra-oral cameras and automated software in order to obtain consistent readings in surveys of levels of dental fluorosis. If the project is successful, we intend that the photographs should be used in a further study to assess the aesthetic impact of fluorosis. The department’s advice to parents concerned about fluorosis is that breastfeeding is the best option and that, where this is not possible, ready-to-use infant formula has a low fluoride content.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 4563; 693 c242WA
Session: 2006-07
Related items: Fluoridation
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Subjects: Health hazards Drinking water Research Fluoride Infant foods
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk