A student from Co. Cavan in Ireland has claimed that fluoride added to the water supply in the area has damaged his teeth, staining the enamel and causing it to wear away – a condition called fluorosis. 21-year-old Martin Cullen has said that he began to suffer with problems at the age of twelve; he told the Irish Independent ‘I was taken to the dentist to get my teeth whitened but afterwards they were still stained.’
Martin was told that veneers would be the only treatment option to cover up the damage but was surprised by the high price of the treatment, saying ‘It’s out of my price bracket.’ The social studies student blames the use of fluoride in the water, he told the paper; ‘The fluoride shouldn’t be in the water. It shouldn’t be happening. The dental care in this country is expensive enough.’
Sean Malone, president of the Irish Dental Association, said that adding fluoride to water supplies is a ‘safe and effective way of reducing decay’ and added that families in his practice who had added a filter to their taps to get rid of the fluoride typically had ‘increased decay rates’.
The Irish Dental Association holds the official policy that fluoridation is ‘the most practical, cost-effective and safe public health measure to control the occurrence of tooth decay in Ireland.’ Although the practice can sometimes cause enamel damage, the IDA added that this is ‘a primarily aesthetic concern and is less difficult to treat than decay.’