Written question asked by Peter Thurnham (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 14 February 1997. It was answered by Gerald Malone (Conservative) on Friday, 14 February 1997 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: What assessment he has made of the correlation between the incidence of dental caries among schoolchildren and the proportion of fluoride in the water over the last 10 years (a) in England and (b) in the North West.

Answer: Mr. Thurnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the correlation between the incidence of dental caries among schoolchildren and the proportion of fluoride in the water over the last 10 years (a) in England and (b) in the north-west; and if he will make a statement. [15630] Mr. Malone: During the last 10 years, the British Fluoridation Society has produced a series of national dental health league tables on levels of tooth decay in five, 12 and 14-year-olds using data from the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry surveys of children's dental health. These league tables show that, in general, districts with the best oral health were fluoridated. Most of the worst districts for tooth decay were not fluoridated; a number of these are in the north-west. BFS leaflets showing the league tables will be placed in the Library.

Secondary information