Fluoride in water will stop the rot

David Chaytor and Ivan Lewis both voted this week to give health authorities the power to force water companies to add fluoride.

A survey by the British Dental Association revealed that the MPs' constituencies, Bury North and Bury South, were joint top of the rotten teeth league. Children aged five had about three missing, decayed or filled teeth.

Studies by the BDA show that children in non-fluoridated areas of the UK are up to four times more likely to have teeth extracted due to tooth decay than those in fluoridated areas.

Mr Chaytor welcomed the move as one way to tackle the "appalling" levels of tooth decay in Bury.

"Until someone can demonstrate conclusively that there is the remotest degree of harm in adding fluoride, I am happy for it to be added," he said.

"Millions of people already absorb fluoride naturally through the water supply and through their toothpaste, and we add all kinds of chemicals to the mains water supply to purify it.

"Having said that, the real problem is the vast quantity of sugar children absorb in their diets, particularly through sweets and fizzy drinks. It does seem odd that we encourage kids to destroy their teeth by eating and drinking junk food and then have to go to enormous lengths to add fluoride to the water to compensate for the damage."

He emphasised that Bury will not have its water fluoridated without proper consultation and local support.

Dr Peter Elton, Bury's director of public health, said fluoridation would cut children's tooth decay in half. "It does not mean that children can eat what they want. It is still important to cut down on sugar in their diets. However, fluoridation will certainly help."

A spokesman for the Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority said: "We are on record as supporting the fluoridation of water. We are now waiting for Government guidelines on how to carry out the consultation and this probably won't happen until next year."