NURSERY schools have rejected a plan to give daily fluoride tablets to children in a bid to fight tooth decay.

The Burnley Health Trust scheme fell down when the schools said they simply weren't prepared to hand out the tablets to their youngsters, health watchdogs were told.

But a pilot study is being carried out at three Nelson area nurseries where dental education workers attend each day to give the tablets to children.

The study will be completed in September and the results made public.

Details were revealed as dental and health education workers met Community Health Council patients to outline measures to combat tooth decay in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale - whose five-year-olds have the worst in the country.

The Community Health Council, together with all local authorities in the area, has consistently rejected moves to add fluoride to water supplies - but have called for better health education and other initiatives to combat the district's dental problems. Both Burnley Health Trust and East Lancashire Health Authority say water fluoridation would be the single most effective way of combating decay in children's teeth, but have never been able to convince health watchdogs, who again voted out the plan after a major public debate in Burnley early this year.

North West Water says it will not extend fluoridation unless the Government orders the move, arguing it is now a national policy matter rather than a local or regional decision.

The Burnley Health trust tablet initiative also targeted parents who were asked if they would like their children to participate.

But a report to CHC members says: "After 12 months the scheme was reviewed and it was found that parents were not giving the tablets to their children."

Council members heard a mobile van visits all primary schools, offering dental treatment to children showing signs of tooth decay.

The report adds that two thirds of the children who were seen needed treatment, with only 35 per cent of children at the age of five having no decay.

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