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News roundupUK report recommends further research on water fluoridation and health
Further research on the health effects of adding fluoride to
drinking water is needed Fluoride has been added to piped drinking water in some areas of the
United Kingdom, as well as in other countries, for several decades to
improve dental health. However, public support for the measure has
wavered after claims that water fluoridation might be associated with
health problems.
The Department of Health asked the council's working group to identify
areas of uncertainty on the balance of risks of water fluoridation and
to recommend research needed to clarify the situation.
One of the main recommendations made by the working group was to
compare the amount of fluoride that the body absorbs from naturally
fluoridated water supplies with the amount absorbed from artificially
fluoridated water.
Members of the working group considered that it was reasonable to
assume that absorption from either source was similar but recommended
that research be carried out to discover whether there were any
differences. The report also calls for new studies on the extent of
dental fluorosis (shown above), a condition which affects the
appearance of teeth and which is associated with a high intake of fluoride.
The Department of Health has agreed to commission a project on the
absorption of fluoride, in accordance with the report's recommendations.
especially studies of people's total exposure to fluoride, a working group set up by the Medical Research Council recommended in a report published last week.
(Credit: WWW.FLUORIDEALERT.ORG)
Footnotes
Water Fluoridation and Health can be found at www.mrc.ac.uk
© BMJ 2002
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Rapid Responses:
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- Fluoride and Lead
- Alan Challoner
bmj.com, 15 Sep 2002 [Full text] - Dental fluorisis: stolen smiles - ruined lives.
- Jane Jones
bmj.com, 15 Sep 2002 [Full text] - MRC Report lacks scientific rigour.
- George Glasser
bmj.com, 18 Sep 2002 [Full text] - Look At The Diet
- Paul S. Beeber
bmj.com, 20 Sep 2002 [Full text] - Electric toothbrushes need further research
- Phillip J. Colquitt
bmj.com, 24 Sep 2002 [Full text] - Science proper?
- Wendy Small, et al.
bmj.com, 29 Sep 2002 [Full text]
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