11 Jan 2012

House of Lords

Fluoridation
Questions
Asked by Earl Baldwin of Bewdley

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 7 February (WA 18-19) and 24 November (WA 275), (1) whether they share the concerns about dental fluorosis that led the Republic of Ireland to lower the concentration of added fluoride in mains water to 0.7 parts per million in 2007, and (2) what relevance the use of more fluoride supplements by the population in the United States has to the incidence of dental fluorosis in the United Kingdom.[HL14261]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): We are not aware of any evidence from the Republic of Ireland to show that levels of dental fluorosis were unacceptable when water supplies were fluoridated at 1 part per million. We cannot see any relevance between the use of more fluoride supplements by the population in the United States and the incidence of dental fluorosis in the United Kingdom. We are awaiting publication of a research study into the prevalence and aesthetic acceptability of dental fluorosis before considering whether the use of a 1 part per million concentration here should be reviewed.

Asked by Earl Baldwin of Bewdley

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 17 October (WA 14), 1 November (WA 233-4) and 24 November (WA 275-6) concerning medicinal products, what is their authority for the view that fluoride when added to mains water with the intention of protecting teeth does not constitute a medical treatment. [HL14262]

Earl Howe: The authority for our judgment is the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's (MHRA) view that fluoride added to drinking water is not a medical product. We consider that, where there is no physical contact, surgical or otherwise, made with the patient, the critical factor in judging whether a medical treatment is occurring is whether a medical product as defined by the MHRA is involved.

10 Jan 2012 : Column WA34

Asked by Earl Baldwin of Bewdley

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 23 May (WA 378-9), whether they intend to commission a larger study, with power to detect small effects, to develop further the analyses from the first report of the Newcastle study into the bioavailability of fluoride in water in 2004, which found a difference in absorption in plasma fluoride between naturally and artificially fluoridated water.[HL14263]

Earl Howe: The department has no current plans to commission a further study on the bioavailability of fluoride in drinking water. The department's National Institute for Health Research welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including water fluoridation. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the scientific quality of the proposals made.

No comments: