Study sheds new light on benefits to children of water fluoridation
Fluoridation of the water supply may confer a modest benefit to the dental health of children, a seven-year-study led by University of Manchester researchers has concluded.
However, the benefits are smaller than shown in previous studies – carried out 50 years ago – when fluoride toothpaste was less widely available in the UK.
The CATFISH study, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, is published today (14/11/2022) in the journal Public Health Research.
The research was led by a team from the University’s Division of Dentistry, and is the first contemporary study of the effects of initiation of a water fluoridation scheme in the UK since fluoride toothpaste became widely available in the 1970s.
The study also showed it was likely that water fluoridation was a cost effective way to help reduce some of the £1.7 Billion a year the NHS spends on dental caries.
Other collaborators on the study included Cambridge University, Kings College London, Salford Royal Foundation Trust and the specialist dental services at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust.
The study assessed the dental health of two cohorts of young children over a six year period in West Cumbria – where water fluoridation was reintroduced in 2013, and the rest of Cumbria, which remains fluoride free.
In West Cumbria, the younger cohort were born after water fluoridation was introduced (this meant they had the full effect of water fluoridation).
The older cohort was aged around five when fluoride was reintroduced into the water supply – which meant they mainly received the benefit for those teeth already in the mouth.
At the end of the study, 1,444 five year olds who were part of the younger cohort and 1,192 eleven year olds who were part of the older cohort had taken part.
Dental teams carried out examinations on the children at regular intervals and took images of their teeth which were blinded to the fluoridation status of each participant to remove bias.
They also collected information about the children’s diet, brushing habits and dental attendance.
In the younger cohort, 17.4% of the children in fluoridated areas had decayed, filled or missing milk teeth; the number was 21.4% for children in non-fluoridated areas, amounting to a modest 4% reduction in incidence of caries.
In the older cohort, 19.1% of the children in fluoridated areas had decayed, filled or missing permanent teeth; the number was 21.9% for children in non-fluoridated areas. There was insufficient evidence as to whether water fluoridation prevents decay in older children with a difference of 2.8%.
Over the last 40 years the proportion of children affected by decay has fallen dramatically.
But because tooth decay falls disproportionately on more disadvantaged groups, fluoridation should be considered alongside measures targeted at vulnerable populations, the team argue.
Professor Mike Kelly, senior member of the research team from The University of Cambridge said: “Health inequalities are a feature of all societies, including the UK. The poor dental health of children from the most disadvantaged communities and the excess number of children having general anaesthetics each year still needs to be addressed. We need to continually look at measures which can help prevent the unnecessary burden of pain and suffering”.
Dr Michaela Goodwin from The university of Manchester, senior investigator on the project said: “While water fluoridation is likely to be cost effective and has demonstrated an improvement in oral health it should be carefully considered along with other options, particularly as the disease becomes concentrated in particular groups.
“Tooth decay is a non-trivial disease which is why measures to tackle it are so important. The extraction of children’s teeth under general anaesthetic is risky to the child and is the most common reason for children between the ages of 5 and 9 to have a general anaesthetic.”
“Decayed teeth are painful and can impact on sleep patterns, learning, attention and many aspects of general health.”
“But more questions remain and we hope to follow up on these children in the long term”.
/Public Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) may be of a point-in-time nature, edited for clarity, style and length. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s).View in full here.
Related News & Content
-
How to optimize ‘select found_rows()’ query? Several ‘high load average’ alerts daily
How to optimize 'select found_rows()' query? Several 'high load average' alerts daily,I have 5,000 regular posts, 6,000 posts in one post type and 2,000 posts in another post type. Needless to say, that has made the wp_posts table quite large. Not to mention, I have custom taxonomie... -
How to Use JSON With AJAX?
How to Use JSON With AJAX?,I've defined a PHP callback function to handle the communication between server-side and client-side: function json_render_modal_body() { check_ajax_referer( THEME_PREFIX . '-modals', 'nonce'... -
Filtering context for render_block function
Filtering context for render_block function,I am trying to use render_block within a function called from the WP admin via AJAX The render_block returns null/empty however if I run my function using the wp hook returns the rendered HTML for ... -
How do I hide submenus from the top menu bar?
How do I hide submenus from the top menu bar?,My website is wiki-style and has a lot of pages that should only be reached through links on other pages. Having these all accessible from the top menu bar under their respective headings leads you... -
Register users without confirmation
Register users without confirmation,I'm looking to register users without requiring confirmation of their emails (and even better, no password when they register). Basically, I want them to subscribe their mails using wp registration -
How to use AJAX in wordpress front end?
How to use AJAX in wordpress front end?,I have two inputs in an HTML Widget block on a post. What I need to do: send the inputs (from the html widget) value to AJAX, construct and execute a query, render a table with the results back on ... -
Display posts from Custom Post Type, group by term, arrange term groups and arrange items within groups by menu order
Display posts from Custom Post Type, group by term, arrange term groups and arrange items within groups by menu order,I have a Custom Post Type 'my_cpt' and a custom taxonomy 'types' which has several terms, all of which have posts. I want to do is be able to control both the order of the groups (terms from my cus... -
How do I know if the custom theme is a child theme or a full-custom theme?
How do I know if the custom theme is a child theme or a full-custom theme?,Inherited a custom built WordPress site. How do I know if the theme it uses is a child theme or a full-custom theme? I would like to delete the unused themes for security and to free up space, but ... -
getEntityRecords/useEntityRecords: How to use CPT metadata?
getEntityRecords/useEntityRecords: How to use CPT metadata?,I use getEntityRecords as described in the official data API tutorial (https://learn.wordpress.org/lesson/retrieving-wordpress-data-records/). I.e.: const [searchTerm, setSearchTerm] = useState... -
Carol Kirkwood stuns in figure-hugging dress amid BBC Breakfast technical chaos
Carol Kirkwood stuns in figure-hugging dress amid BBC Breakfast technical chaos,CAROL Kirkwood stunned in a figure-hugging dress amid a technical blunder. BBC Breakfast was flung into chaos this morning after a string of sound issues. However Carol, 61, was all smiles as she p… -
Families ‘to sue prison’ where loud inmates ‘terrorise kids’ with screaming
Families 'to sue prison' where loud inmates 'terrorise kids' with screaming,Residents living next door to a new prison who say their kids have to sleep wearing headphones and some leave during weekends due to the racket are threatening to sue the prison service -
Doctor Strange’s Secret Wars Role May Be More Important Than You Thought – Looper
Doctor Strange's Secret Wars Role May Be More Important Than You Thought - Looper,According to entertainment leaker Alex Perez, Doctor Strange will find himself confronting his inner struggles as he headlines "Avengers: Secret Wars." -
Blondshell and Bully Team Up For New Single “Docket”
Blondshell and Bully Team Up For New Single “Docket”,Blondshell has teamed up with Alicia Bognanno of Bully for the newly released single "Docket." Listen to the track here. -
I’m a clown for not trying Korean beauty secret for glowy skin sooner – don’t worry, I’m not putting cheese on my face
I’m a clown for not trying Korean beauty secret for glowy skin sooner – don’t worry, I’m not putting cheese on my face,A BEAUTY influencer has regrets about not trying out Korean beauty advice for glowy skin sooner. Although the trick can look a little strange at first, she assured viewers that she was not putting … -
‘We are at risk’ – health expert in urgent warning for Irish people over Easter
‘We are at risk’ - health expert in urgent warning for Irish people over Easter,AN URGENT warning has been released to those jetting off over the Easter break. With measles already on the rise, there is an increased risk of a more widespread outbreak in the coming weeks. Trave… -
Black Holes Are Even Weirder Than You Imagined
Black Holes Are Even Weirder Than You Imagined,It’s now thought that they could illuminate fundamental questions in physics, settle questions about Einstein’s theories, and even help explain the universe. -
The odd history of on-hold music
The odd history of on-hold music,We've all been put on hold when we've tried to reach someone. Have you ever thought about the music that plays while you wait? -
‘What Jennifer Did’: Netflix doc explores shocking Ont. murder-for-hire case
'What Jennifer Did': Netflix doc explores shocking Ont. murder-for-hire case,Most of Jennifer Pan's entire life was made up of lies. When her parents began to catch on, she decided to bring in hired hitmen. -
Martin Scorsese to Spearhead Doc Series on Christian Saints for Fox Nation
Martin Scorsese to Spearhead Doc Series on Christian Saints for Fox Nation,Martin Scorsese signed a deal with Fox Nation to host and executive produce an eight-episode docudrama titled 'Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints.' -
Man Accusing CPAC Chair Matt Schlapp of Sexual Assault Was Paid $480,000: Report
Man Accusing CPAC Chair Matt Schlapp of Sexual Assault Was Paid $480,000: Report,The GOP strategist who accused Matt Schlapp of sexual assault last year reportedly received a hefty financial settlement to drop his lawsuit against the CPAC chairman.
