Children have better teeth south of border

March 1997

CHILDREN in Dundalk have significantly better dental health than those in Newry, and it’s due to the fluoridation of the public water supply.

This is revealed in the Dáil in a written reply from Minister for Health Michael Noonan to a question by Dermot Ahern TD.

The minister states that the latest comparative figures for dental treatment levels for Newry and Dundalk show that children across all age groups in the Co. Louth town have significantly better dental health than their northern counterparts.

‘For example, five-yearold children in Newry have on average three decayed, missing or filled baby teeth, in comparison to an average of one for five-year-old children in the Dundalk area,’ says Mr. Noonan.

‘ The figures for 12-yearolds show that Newry children have on average more than two decayed, missing or filled permanent teeth, while Dundalk children have an average of less than one.’

He adds the findings are consistent with previous studies which have shown marked differences in the level of dental health between children in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.

‘ There is widespread agreement amongst international researchers that the single most important contributory factor is the fluoridation of public water supplies in the Republic,’ the minister continues.

After giving various statistics to back this up, Minister Noonan adds, ‘In the light of available evidence both in Ireland and internationally, water fluoridation is of major social, economic and health benefit to the country, and will continue to be the corner stone of our preventive programme to promote good oral health.’