Fluoridation: do not turn the clock back

DR SEAMUS O’HICKEY is right to point out the vast improvement water fluoridation contributes to dental health (Irish Examiner letters, April 13).

An analysis comparing similar populations North and South showed children in the South had almost 50% fewer decayed teeth than those of a similar age group in the North where there is no fluoride in the water supply.

Fluoridation, which started in the 1960s when I was a dental student in Dublin, has been one of the main beneficial public health measures carried out by any Irish government and should be a source of pride to all concerned. Do not turn the clock back now. In the UK we see the results of a lack of fluoride in water supplies in a health service that can’t cope with dental disease.