Galway City Council Backs Plan to Scrap Water Fluoridation
Galway City Council has become the latest council to back plans to scrap water fluoridation in Ireland. Cork and Dublin councils have already called on the government to consider stopping fluoridation in the future.
The motion to stop fluoridation was passed at a recent meeting of Galway City Council and was supported by members from different political parties. The motion suggests that members should oppose fluoridation based on research, which confirms that rates of decay have decreased across Western Europe regardless of whether there are fluoridated water supplies in place. Studies that suggest that fluoridation is topical, rather than systemic, have also been cited.
The motion calls for the government to hold a referendum on the subject of water fluoridation in the next 18 months. The motion was brought by independent councillor, Jim Cuddy, who believes that there is growing concern among members of the public concerning the amount of fluoride present in community water supplies.
In response to the news, the Irish Dental Association says that there are no safety concerns regarding the addition of fluoride to water supplies and the majority of dentists support fluoridation as a means of reducing the rates of dental decay. The IDA supports the use of fluoride based on the fact that there is little research to contradict the belief that fluoride is beneficial for oral health. The IDA cites 15 peer-reviewed studies, all of which conclude that oral health benefits can be achieved by water fluoridation. Recent studies conducted by health boards in New Zealand and England both claim that fluoridation improves dental health when used at the right levels.
Research conducted by the Health Research Board in conjunction with the Department of Health is expected to be published in the coming weeks.
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