Water fluoride branded the solution to Scotland's 'worst in Europe' dental decay

Now Prof Conway has called for a public consultation on water fluoridation to help improve Scotland’s rates of dental decay, which are one of the worst in Europe. The last meaningful consultation on the issue took place in the early 2000s.

However, despite consensus from health bodies that adding fluoride to drinking water would help improve Scotland’s dire record on dental health, the Scottish Government has never moved forward with fluoridation plans.

Prof Conway said: “It should really be a settled issue by now. The evidence of the benefits and lack of evidence of the harms of fluoridation of water to recommended levels is clear.

“To take this forward in Scotland I think we need public consultation – but a more in-depth conversation with public and community engagement on the issues – and trying to ensure it is not hijacked by the vocal minority against.”

He added: “Also full assessment of the logistics and feasibility, including financial costs and benefits, of fluoridation of the public drinking water supply would be helpful to fully inform this discussion.”

The issue has become a hot topic in the past few days as Robert F Kennedy Jnr, president-elect Donald Trump’s pick for head of the American Department for Health and Human Services, said he would move to remove fluoride from US tap water.

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in the US named fluoridation of drinking water as one of the ten great public health interventions of the 20th century. Mr Kennedy, a renowned conspiracy theorist, has caused widespread alarm that global fluoridation rates will decline.

Robert Donald, chair of the BDA’s Scottish council, said: “The US looks set to blindly row back on the huge gains made with water fluoridation. Scotland needs to double down on prevention.”

Water fluoridation is backed by the British Dental Association, the Scottish Health Boards’ Consultants in Dental Public Health, and the chief medical officer in the Scottish Government. About six million people in England live in areas with water fluoridation, mainly in the West Midlands and the north-east where schemes have been running for more than 50 years.

Scotland’s health boards are able to ask Scottish Water to add fluoride to supplies, if they can demonstrate public support.

The Scottish Government has said “the practicalities” of adding fluoride to the water are onerous and “alternative solutions” – such as community health projects like Childsmile – “are more achievable”.

Prof Conway added: “Maybe there will be some opportunities ahead if after the next Scottish Parliament elections with a former dental student of mine here at University of Glasgow Dental School in the running for First Minister.”

Scottish Labour also pointed to the Childsmile scheme, which was introduced under a Labour government.

Paul Sweeney, Scottish Labour's dental spokesperson, said: "We will build on this legacy by promoting dental health to children and young people.

"Scottish Labour has a democratic process within the party to develop policy and any proposal would need to be considered through that process.