PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - John Furness
AU  - Sam J Oddie
AU  - Simon Hearnshaw
TI  - Water fluoridation: current challenges
AID  - 10.1136/archdischild-2019-318545
DP  - 2021 Jun 01
TA  - Archives of Disease in Childhood
PG  - 587--589
VI  - 106
IP  - 6
4099  - http://adc.bmj.com/content/106/6/587.short
4100  - http://adc.bmj.com/content/106/6/587.full
SO  - Arch Dis Child2021 Jun 01; 106
AB  - Dental extraction for caries is the most common reason for children aged 6–10 years to be admitted to hospital. Community Water Fluoridation (CWF) is safe and effective at reducing dental caries. It is most effective where there is more deprivation. However, many deprived areas do not have CWF despite Public Health England recommending it. Those who lobby against fluoridation do so using emotionally charged language and misinformation. We discuss the benefits of fluoridation and the specious arguments used against this important public health measure. The National CWF Network is led by dentists and promotes CWF. COVID-19 has led to the suspension of routine dentistry, renewing the urgency of implementation of CWF. Professional bodies such as the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health are urged to give their support.Data sharing is not applicable as no datasets were generated and/or analysed for this study. There are no new data in the submission.