In article ,
Alan wrote:

Many people of a certain age have a mouth full of fillings because NHS
dentists were paid on the number of fillings they performed. As a
result, on every dentist visit a filling was required irrespective of
any problem with the teeth.

That is a commonly repeated statement but, as far as I know, has
no basis in fact. A lot of the time, my friends and relatives
had no more than a checkup - but they had had a less problematic
childhood.

Is the improvement in dental health in more recent years due to
additives in the water or due to the fraudulent activity in the dental
profession being curtailed?

As has been pointed out, it's not the water, but the evidence is
that additional fluoride is a major factor.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.