Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 April 2013
1272. Deputy Joanna Tuffy asked the Minister for Health if and when a bio-monitoring study of total fluoride intake will be carried out; if any periodic dental surveys have been carried out to measure both caries levels and fluorosis in order to monitor the effect water fluoridation has had on the oral health of the people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16986/13]
View answerThe impact of water fluoridation on caries levels in Ireland has been regularly assessed in both national and local surveys since its introduction in the mid 1960s. Enamel fluorosis has been monitored in Ireland since 1984. This is regarded as an accurate method of monitoring total fluoride intake, using increasingly sophisticated new technologies. Surveys to measure the effectiveness of water fluoridation on children’s and adults’ oral health include national studies in 1984, 1990, 2001 and 2002, regional studies between 1990 and 1999 and a cross border study in 2006. All of these studies showed a substantial benefit of fluoridation in terms of a reduction in tooth decay.
A high level advisory group to provide technical and academic oversight of a planned bio-monitoring study of total fluoride intake in Ireland was established by the Department of Health and the HSE in 2012. The group advised that, due to its inherent limitations, such a study utilising samples of urine or nails, on its own, would not be beneficial. It proposed that consideration be given to an assessment of fluorosis as a bio-marker in an oral health study. The Health Research Board has approved funding for a study by the Oral Health Services Research Centre of University College Cork. The Department of Health is a collaborator in the study. The study 'What Impact Have Major Policy Changes Had on Oral Health in Ireland? Establishing a Blueprint for Oral Health Surveillance' will consider the impact of changes on the oral health of children, following policy decisions relating to toothpaste use by infants and young children (2002) and the reduced level of fluoridation in drinking water (2007).
