Insurance

If you’re any age over 30, you’re likely to have some memories of the water fluoridation debate. On one side, organisations such as the British Dental Association and the British Fluoride Association have long argued that dental health in poorer areas could be dramatically improved by adding fluoride to UK water supplies. Any such moves have long been opposed by campaigners, however, who not only believe it is forced, mass medication, but its impact on tooth cavities is inconclusive and that it may even have links to cases of Down’s Syndrome and cancer.

The debate has been ongoing since 1955 when pilot schemes to add fluoride to water were first introduced in Watford, Kilmarnock and Anglesey. Since then, the idea gained currency and six million people, or 10% of the population, now receive fluoridated water - with the West Midlands the most extensively fluoridated region in the UK. In the rest of the world, over 400 million people now receive a fluoridated water supply, with the US one of the most extensively fluoridated countries in the world.

Here in the UK, though, the momentum for fluoridation seemed to trail off in the 1980s; the last fluoridation project took place in 1985. For many, issues around water fluoridation were soon forgotten. Even new legislation introduced in 2003, which gave Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) the power to ensure a supplier adds fluoride to the water, has not so far led to any more people or regions receiving fluoridated water.

However, the issue once again hit the newspaper stands last month, when Health Secretary Alan Johnson called for fluoride to be added to England’s water supplies in the hope of reducing tooth decay among the country’s poorest communities. It remains to be seen whether this leads to further water fluoridation in the UK - indeed, in the face of opposition, there may yet be further discussion on alternatives. In Switzerland, for example, the problem of compulsory water fluoridation was circumvented by instead offering consumers fluoridated salt. According to statistics, this has reduced cavities in the country by as much as 30%.

Whatever the eventual outcome of this long running controversy, the Health Secretary’s latest announcement is a timely reminder that dental health is a huge issue in the UK, not least because it seems to have become ever more difficult to access NHS dentists, at least in some parts of the country. It’s utterly frustrating to call to register with a dentist, only to be told that they are not taking on any more patients, and that’s before you even get to the point of considering dental costs that may not be covered by the NHS anyway. In addition, recently released statistics indicate that young dentists are more likely to make their income from private dental work than they are from NHS funded activities.

For these reasons, dental insurance has become more popular in recent years. Whether you receive fluoridated water or not, around 5 million people visit their dentists every year with toothache. Regular check-ups could prevent this by spotting problems at an early stage. Different dental insurance policies differ in what they offer, but most will pay a percentage of routine and general dental treatment with a maximum limit for emergency dental treatment, which can be very expensive. Obviously, the more cover you get, the higher the premiums.

If you have existing - or you are planning to get - private medical insurance (PMI), it’s also worth checking your policy. Several include some level of dental treatment, particularly if you are taking out a comprehensive policy, which often includes dental cover, as well as other extras such as home nursing, ambulance services, complementary medicine and full treatment costs. You may also get your optician fees covered under such a policy, so, even if you don’t already have a PMI policy, you may want to look into it, if you want an array of possible medical costs covered by insurance.

In these more health-conscious days where we also have more personal wealth than perhaps ever before, it can be easy to assume that problems with dental health are things of the past. But as the debate continues to rage over fluoridated water, and people increasingly struggle to access NHS dental care, there are clearly continuing concerns over the state of our nation’s teeth. To ensure that you have your best oral hygiene at heart, you may want to consider the insurance options, whether that’s getting a specific dental insurance policy, or getting comprehensive PMI that will cover you for your teeth, and much more besides.