Tooth decay in young children, particularly from poorer families, is clearly a very serious problem in Bradford. No doubt more needs to be done to tackle the issues involved which if not headed off can cause endless problems for young people in later life - when, of course, anyone who is unable to find an NHS dentist (which means most of us) can find not just holes in their teeth but a huge hole in their wallet.

That said, how juvenile teeth decay should be tackled poses a real dilemma. The present level of health advice clearly isn't working. Some parents cannot be relied upon to ensure that they improve their children's diet adequately or monitor their teeth-cleaning carefully enough in the home to avert care problems.

So the health lobby is now turning back to the notion of enforced improvements by suggesting that the feasibility of adding fluoride to school milk in Bradford should be investigated.

There is no easy answer as to whether or not that is a good idea. There remain significant doubts in many people's minds. At the end of the day the only possible approach must be for the issue to be made one of personal parental choice.

Even if the would-be fluoridators win the day, a majority vote should not be allowed to impose treated milk on those who do not want it for their children. It surely isn't beyond the wit of schools to administer a system under which children are allowed to select, on parental advice, whether they consume milk with or without fluoride while at the same time extra effort is put into the dental-health education campaign.