To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what advice his Department has issued to (a) parents and (b) dentists on the prevention of dental fluorosis in children; (182407)

Dental fluorosis is characterised by a flecking, or more rarely a mottling, of teeth, often only visible when teeth are dried. If severe, it may give some people concern about the appearance of their teeth. It does not, however, affect the extra resistance to dental decay provided by exposure to fluoride. It is often caused by very young children swallowing fluoride toothpaste unsupervised. When parents or dentists make inquiries, they are referred to advice contained in “Delivering Better Oral Health: An evidence based toolkit for prevention”, which was issued to all national health service general dental practices in November 2007. The guide, advises that

“Children under 3 years should use no more than a smear of toothpaste .... And must not be permitted to eat or lick toothpaste from the tube”.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has commissioned on the prevalence of dental fluorosis in children under the age of 10 years. (182408)

To date, experience of researching fluorosis shows that there are wide differences in subjective assessments even when they are made by dentists on dried teeth. We are therefore supporting a research project on the use of intra-oral cameras to assess the extent of fluorosis. If, as we expect, the research shows that the measurement of dental fluorosis can be standardised, we will undertake a further study of its prevalence and aesthetic impact.