Vol. 489 No. 6
451 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children the comparative European dental health studies of 12 year old adolescents, if any, which have been conducted; and his views on whether such a comparative study would carry a greater value in assessing the benefit, or otherwise, of fluoridated drinking water than studies of five to seven year old children cited by him in response to previous parliamentary questions in the past. [9146/98]
The Prevalence of Dental Caries in Europe 199095 was published in the Journal of Caries Research 1996; Volume 30: 237-255.
Studies of five year old children in particular which measure caries prevalence are the most reliable method of assessing the effectiveness of fluoridation because children up to this age have not come into contact with the organised oral health care system. Measurements after this age are greatly affected by the performance of differing oral health care systems including the availability of oral health personnel.
