A comparison between the dental health of 3-year-old children living in fluoridated Huddersfield and non-fluoridated Dewsbury in 1989.

A study was undertaken to compare the prevalence of dental caries and developmental defects of enamel between 3-year-old children who were lifelong residents of fluoridated areas of Huddersfield (1 ppm F) and non-fluoridated Dewsbury (less than 0.3 ppm F). An interview was also conducted with the parents of the children to provide information regarding previous dental experiences. The study populations were identified using the national child health system. The mean dmft was 0.30 in Huddersfield and 0.74 in Dewsbury. The percentage of children who had experienced dental caries and the percentage with carious teeth were significantly lower in the fluoridated area. The Dewsbury children had suffered more toothache. There was a significantly higher number of children in Huddersfield with diffuse enamel defects on their upper and lower first molars. This study has also demonstrated that the national child health system provides a method for obtaining a random sample of pre-school children from the general population, thus avoiding the problems associated with studies using selected populations. Fluoridation in Huddersfield ceased in October 1989 and it is hoped that this decision will be reversed as soon as possible.