Two health chiefs have submitted a letter to the government calling for an extension of the water fluoridation scheme in Nottinghamshire.

Councillor John Doddy, chair of the Nottinghamshire Health and Wellbeing Board, and councillor Linda Woodings, chair of the Nottingham City Health and Wellbeing Board, along with their respective Directors of Public Health, Jonathan Gribbin and Lucy Hubber, are campaigning for a water fluoridation scheme across the county and the city to be expanded.

As part of the campaign, councillor Doddy and Jonathan Gribbin hand-delivered a letter on behalf of all the partners to the Department of Health and Social Care in London, seeking approval from the Secretary of State for the extension of the water fluoridation scheme.

Experts claim that water fluoridation has been shown to reduce the likelihood and extent of tooth decay in both adults and children.

Some parts of the county are already covered by water fluoridation schemes, while other areas and Nottingham City are not.

Campaigners say that expanding the water fluoridation scheme to cover the city and the whole county will ensure that everyone has equal access to a key public health measure that supports good oral health.

All water contains low levels of fluoride in varying amounts. In Nottinghamshire, the level of fluoride occurring naturally in water is low. 

Councillor John Doddy, Chair of Nottinghamshire Health and Wellbeing Board, said: “I am committed to working with our partners locally, including the Integrated Care Board and Severn Trent Water, to improve the oral health of our local population. Too many people need to go to hospital to have teeth extracted because of decay, and this includes young children. This should not be happening, particularly when we have the means to do something about it.

“Introducing or expanding a water fluoridation scheme requires approval from the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and on behalf of our partners, Jonathan Gribbin and I have hand-delivered a letter to the Department of Health and Social Care, which has been co-signed by partners, asking for the scheme to be extended across the city and the county.”

The announcement comes after research by Tulane University indicated a connection between high fluoride levels in water and cognitive impairment in children.

Akashic Times is the UK’s only online, fully independent not-for-profit newspaper that brings you real news from across the globe.

If you want to keep ahead of what is really going on in the world, subscribe to our newspaper via the subscribe button and join our Facebook & Twitter pages. Subscription is completely free ofcourse