Letter to Government kickstarts bid to add fluoride to all of Nottinghamshire’s water

The naturally-occurring mineral strengthens teeth, making them more resistant to decay, and is an ingredient in toothpastes.

It can also be added to public water supplies if local leaders, health officials and suppliers agree.

Although northern parts of Nottinghamshire have had fluoride in the water supply since the 1970s, Nottingham city and the rest of the county does not.

A letter from Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council and the NHS Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board was sent to Health Secretary Victoria Atkins MP (Con) on January 25.

It lays out the case for fluoridating drinking water across the whole of the county.

The change could take up to 10 years to make if approved, but health officials are confident people’s teeth will see the benefit.

At a meetng of the city council’s health and wellbeing board on January 24 there was discussion about whether the public would accept fluoridation, which has been the target of unfounded conspiracy theories.

Lucy Hubber, director of public health, said: “There is a lot of misunderstanding about fluoridation.

"We don’t want misinformation to have a greater voice than reality.”

Chair Linda Woodings (Lab) agreed, saying: “This isn’t a subject to play political games with – our children’s dental health is much more important than that.

“There is a much higher rate of cavities and extractions in south Nottinghamshire than the north, where their water is already fluorinated.”

Mansfield, Ashfield, Bassetlaw and parts of Newark & Sherwood district are the only Nottinghamshire areas which already have fluoride in their water.