55 per cent rise in children having fluoride varnish treatment

55 per cent rise in children having fluoride varnish treatment
The number of children having fluoride painted onto their teeth in a bid to tackle tooth decay has risen by 55 per cent in a year.
By Martin Beckford, Health Correspondent
Official figures show NHS dentists in England carried out almost 850,000 fluoride varnish treatments on young people in 2010-11, representing 8 per cent of all child treatments.

The number of such treatments for adults also rose by 22 per cent, to 335,000, data from the NHS Information Centre show.

Fluoride varnish, now backed by the Department of Health as safe and effective for all children, is increasingly being used by dentists as a longer-lasting form of protection against tooth decay than toothbrushing.
It is also less controversial than putting fluoride, which protects tooth enamel from the bacteria in plaque, into the water supply.