Mary White (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am very disappointed that this motion has been tabled by Seanad colleagues. Fluoridation has consistently been the subject of misinformation and distortion of evidence. It is quite disappointing to see the sponsoring Senators join this bandwagon. We should be celebrating the fact that this year marks the 50th year of the fluoridation of public water supplies in Ireland.

This public health measure has been reviewed numerous times and every review shows fluoridation has benefited the dental health of Irish children. Its introduction in Ireland was promoted by Seán MacEntee, then Minister for Health, who passionately believed our children deserved no less. Its legitimacy was validated at a long High Court hearing in 1965. In the same year, the Supreme Court rejected the assertion that fluoridation of public water violated the Constitution's guarantee to bodily integrity, a finding which this motion should recognise and on which its proposers should inform themselves.

A number of respected and expert reviews of fluoridation in Ireland have taken place to review concerns expressed. The then Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Micheál Martin, established the Forum on Water Fluoridation in Ireland in 2002 and launched its report in the same year. How can the sponsors of the motion cast aside the main findings of the forum's report? Water fluoridation has been very effective in improving the oral health of children but also that of adults and the elderly. The best available and most reliable scientific evidence indicates that at the maximum permitted level of fluoride in drinking water in Ireland, namely, one part per million, human health is not adversely affected.

The expert body on fluoride and health was established as a result of the forum's recommendation to advise the Minister with responsibility for health on all aspects of fluoride, emerging issues and research findings. This expert body, under the chairmanship of Dr. Seamus O'Hickey, continues to meet and discharge its responsibilities. It has found no study which casts doubt on the safety of water fluoridation in Ireland. The expert body states the only known side-effect of water fluoridation is dental fluorosis, a superficial staining of the tooth surface which has no adverse health effect and can be removed easily.

The expert group states much dental fluorosis comes from sources other than fluoridation of water, such as the inappropriate use of fluoride toothpastes, which are generally 1,500 times more concentrated than fluoridated water. The expert group recommends that fluoridated toothpaste should not be given to children under two years of age and adults should supervise children aged between two and seven years when brushing with fluoridated toothpaste so a tiny amount is used and it is not swallowed.