A GP and a councillor have teamed up to lobby for water fluoridation to improve oral health.
Around 30 per cent of Nottingham’s water is currently fluoridated. In an effort to tackle growing child tooth decay, health experts are calling for 100 per cent of water to be fluoridated.
John Doddy, a local doctor, is one of the key campaigners. Speaking to ITV News Central, he said, "The single biggest population intervention that you can do to improve the oral health of a population is fluoridation.
"Just add it to the water and immediately you see fantastic changes occurring across the whole gamut of the population, but especially to kids, especially the under-fives, the changes would be phenomenal."
In July, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities released a survey revealing that five-year-olds in deprived areas were 2.5 times as likely to experience dental decay.
Another 2023 survey revealed an 83 per cent increase in the number of 0–19-year-olds being admitted to hospital for tooth extractions under general anaesthetic due to tooth decay.
To tackle the oral health crisis, Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council have worked together to secure £100,000 of ring-fenced funding to buy and distribute toothbrushing packs. The kits will be disseminated at foodbanks and other organisations which support vulnerable people.
Charmaine Binns from The Hygiene Bank in Nottingham said, "Just means that parents don't feel they're having to sort of cut back on products like toothbrush, toothpaste.
"And part of this is that they can have a routine of having their own stuff to brush your teeth."