The consultation group in Geneva.

A panel of experts on fluoride has urged governments and other influential bodies to develop effective legislation, necessary directives and programmes to ensure access to fluoride for dental health in all countries.

Eighty experts from thirty countries gathered for a Global Consultation on Oral Health through Fluoride, jointly convened by the World Health Organization (WHO), FDI World Dental Federation and the International Association for Dental Research recently in Geneva and expressed their deep concern about growing disparities in dental health and the lack of progress in tackling the worldwide burden of dental caries, particularly in disadvantaged populations.

The experts recommended developing effective legislation, necessary directives and programmes to ensure access to fluoride for dental health in all countries, include fluoride in health communications, health promotion strategies and programmes, include fluoride for dental health when promoting health through healthy diets, to encourage governments to reduce or remove taxation and tariffs on fluoride products for dental health and to encourage suppliers to improve availability of effective affordable fluoride toothpaste.

“The benefits of fluoride for the prevention and control of dental caries have been known to the scientific and public health community for more than 60 years. While fluoride in various delivery systems is widely available in many developed countries, it is estimated that globally only 20 percent of the world's population benefit from appropriate exposure to fluoride,” said Dr Poul Erik Petersen, Chief of the Oral Health Unit at WHO. “Regrettably, particularly people living in developing countries and disadvantaged communities are deprived of fluoride for dental health.”

The adopted declaration will guide the work of the alliance and various international action groups that were established during the consultation. The full text of the declaration is available at www.fdiworldental.org/public_health/3_7fluoride.html.