Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This issue arose at a health board meeting I attended many years ago. The present Secretary General of the Department of Health happened to be an official of the health board at the time and said that there had been a significant improvement in dental hygiene and the age cohort of those who retain more of their teeth than ever before. Due to the fluoridation of water children are holding on to their teeth much better, and more people have fuller sets of teeth, for want of a better word, than previous generations had. It definitely does work. The Health (Fluoridation of Water Supplies) Act 1960 and the Fluoridation of Water Supplies Regulations 2007 provide for the making of arrangements by the HSE for the fluoridation of public water supplies and this is the responsibility of the Minister for Health who decides what is or is not competent in the health area. Water fluoridation is the adjustment of the natural concentration of fluoride in drinking water to the optimum recommended levels for the prevention of tooth decay.

As of July 2007 the level of fluoride in drinking water in Ireland has been set at between 0.6 and 0.8 per million equivalent to milligrams per litre. Water fluoridation and the use of appropriate fluorides is a major plank of public health policy in Ireland in the prevention and management of tooth decay. The Irish expert body on fluorides and health, established in 2004, continuously monitors new and emerging issues around fluoride and its effects. It advises that the balance of scientific evidence worldwide confirms that water fluoridation at the optimal level does not cause any ill effects and protects the oral health of the population. That is the point I made earlier. The opinion of the expert body is supported by major international, scientifically validated reviews and the effects of fluoride on health and related matters are kept under constant review. I do not know if that is helpful to the Senator.