HERE is the news: in response to alarming new
figures which reveal increasing numbers of Scots developing skin cancer as
a result of exposure to the sun, as well as visits to tanning salons, the
government has decided to make the wearing of sun-tan lotion compulsory.
Fanciful? Perhaps, and it is a scenario that would be opposed by libertarians everywhere, and Tommy Sheridan. But the proposal to add fluoride to Scotland’s water supplies has similar overtones of a nanny state deciding what is best for its citizens.
As we report today, the proposal is set for public consultation and has some weighty backing - including the British Dental Association, the British Medical Association and the World Health Organisation. They say fluoridation is the best way to tackle our shocking dental health record.
Tooth decay has been dramatically reduced in those countries with treated water, and in the few fluoridated areas of the UK it has been halved.
But while dentists may not spend as much time filling cavities, they may be called upon to whiten discoloured teeth - opponents of fluoridation claim it leaves them with unsightly "mottling" and worse.
Not without cause is it linked to osteoporosis and cancer. These risks alone suggest that more research is needed before we take the drastic step of adding millions of litres of a chemical to the water that comes out of our taps.
In the meantime, by all means let’s put more money and educational resources into the battle for healthy teeth, including distributing free toothbrushes and toothpaste to children where they are most needed.
And like the seemingly endless wrangling over the MMR vaccine, until the absolute safety of fluoridation can be guaranteed, the government must preserve our freedom to choose.
Fanciful? Perhaps, and it is a scenario that would be opposed by libertarians everywhere, and Tommy Sheridan. But the proposal to add fluoride to Scotland’s water supplies has similar overtones of a nanny state deciding what is best for its citizens.
As we report today, the proposal is set for public consultation and has some weighty backing - including the British Dental Association, the British Medical Association and the World Health Organisation. They say fluoridation is the best way to tackle our shocking dental health record.
Tooth decay has been dramatically reduced in those countries with treated water, and in the few fluoridated areas of the UK it has been halved.
But while dentists may not spend as much time filling cavities, they may be called upon to whiten discoloured teeth - opponents of fluoridation claim it leaves them with unsightly "mottling" and worse.
Not without cause is it linked to osteoporosis and cancer. These risks alone suggest that more research is needed before we take the drastic step of adding millions of litres of a chemical to the water that comes out of our taps.
In the meantime, by all means let’s put more money and educational resources into the battle for healthy teeth, including distributing free toothbrushes and toothpaste to children where they are most needed.
And like the seemingly endless wrangling over the MMR vaccine, until the absolute safety of fluoridation can be guaranteed, the government must preserve our freedom to choose.
