‘Drink fluoride to keep teeth in old age’

Older Irish people who drink fluoridated water are more likely to keep their teeth, a study shows.

Researchers from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (Tilda) and the School of Dental Science in Trinity College Dublin found a positive relationship between higher levels of water fluoridation and oral health among older Irish people.

The researchers found that a higher prevalence of households with fluoridated water in a local electoral district was associated with an increased probability of an older person having all their own teeth.