Mid Sussex Primary Care Trust's decision to request a feasibility study on fluoridation has serious implications. It is tacit acceptance the policy is beneficial and removes it from arguments of safety, ethics and legality. Cost becomes the only consideration.

But do we really want £25,000 spent on a feasibility study to tell us what we already know - that millions spent on fluoridation will be an unforgivably dangerous drain on NHS funds and services?

The key question is, should the public water supply be used as a carrier for medication?

Those who approve claim children would have fewer fillings but keep very quiet about the brown, pitted teeth of fluorosis in adults which indicate incurable internal fluoride poisoning.

Silence also reigns over links to cancer and other serious diseases.

Many "safe" treatments have resulted in horrific consequences - remember Thalidomide? There is no such thing as "safe for everyone".

Those against it are concerned it will set a precedent for mass medication.

You cannot put medicine in public drinking water - it contravenes human rights laws and strips individuals of their sovereign right over their own bodies.

And no one, no politician, health official or judge can guarantee that it will not be misused at some point in the future.

Jennifer Godschall Johnson, Hampshire