Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I was sure Senator Norris would have. There have been some strong reviews. A comprehensive review was established by a Fianna Fáil Minister for Health and Children and reported in 2002. Even after public consultation and taking on board all the evidence, it concluded that water fluoridation has been effective in improving the oral health of the Irish population, especially that of children, and that human health is not adversely affected. Other colleagues have already said - I do not want to repeat it - that children in Ireland have a very high rate of consumption of sugary foods and sweetened drinks. As the Minister of State has pointed out, the Irish population has relatively poor dietary and oral hygiene practices and water fluoridation has been effective in preventing dental suffering and pain, and indeed other things such as infections and other health risks that poor dental hygiene can bring about.

It is useful for us to debate this and consider the arguments made in Declan Waugh's report - I know the Minister of State has addressed those. We need to consider the appraisal of those arguments and the answers given. We need to assess the scientific evidence on the matter. Having carried out that exercise very usefully in this session and being aware that a comprehensive review was carried out in the relatively recent past, we should conclude it is safe to support the Government's amendment to the motion.

The issue of language is important. Senator Norris has very carefully and correctly simply called for a review. However, even calling for a review can open the question, as Senator Gilroy and others have said, and perhaps contribute to fears that are unjustified when one considers the evidence. The amendment offers a better balance, given what we know about the risk to dental hygiene from poor nutrition and poor diet and from what we know about the benefits of water fluoridation.