Do you want Fluoride in your water?
People in Rochdale should find out over the next two months whether fluoride will be put in their water.
The controversial scheme is still at early stages but Ian Rhodes, Associate Director of Communications at NHS North West, said there had been “a lot of professional support for it”.
“There are quite a few stages to go yet before public consultation,” Mr Rhodes said.
“We don’t know the possible costs until we are asked to work on a scheme for the region. We’ve not had any indications back but there is a lot of professional support for it. It has been through both Houses and a free vote – it’s lawful,” said Mr Rhodes.
The scheme had been seen as a success in Birmingham where there were 84 decayed teeth per 100 five-year-olds, compared to 387 decayed teeth per 100 five-year-olds in Rochdale.
But critics of the scheme said this was because there were more dentists in Birmingham per child and more funding. A noticeable critic was Steve Clarke, of Manchester Against Fluoridation, who said Greater Manchester was being “sold a lie”.
Ashley Dearnley, Leader of the Rochdale Conservatives, said: “I understand there’s been fluoride in the water for a long time which has benefited everyone’s teeth, particularly children. I supported it at the time.”
However there is currently a campaign in Eire to abandon fluoridation, and in America people have sued for fluoride giving them cancer.
“If I had evidence that it wasn’t beneficial then I would need to re-consider it and perhaps it would need to be removed,” Mr Dearnley said.
Laura Baker, Communications Officer at Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Primary Care Trust, said: “We haven’t got any decision so I can’t say either way, I wouldn’t like to speculate.”
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