The Dental Update Archive

Legislation of the water industry in the UK to protect the public and regulate the safety of water supplies has been in place for over 100 years. It appeared as a response to an outbreak of cholera from a public water supply.1 The majority of water companies were in the public sector for many years and were controlled at a governmental or local authority level. It was during this period of public ownership that the fluoridation schemes in the UK were introduced.