Following a recommendation by the Irish Expert Body on Fluorides and Health, a country-wide study to check fluoride levels is being planned.
Fluoride levels in tap water were reduced on 1 July this year, from 0.8 to 1.0 ppm to between 0.6 and 0.8 ppm, with a target value of 0.7 ppm. Legislation to amend the quantity was passed in the Oireachtas in February 2007.
Currently entitled Baseline Study to Monitor Specific Effects of Amending the Level of Fluoride in Water Supplies in the Republic of Ireland, it will be undertaken in a sample of optimally fluoridated areas in the Republic of Ireland.
The proposed study is outlined on the e-tenders website (www.e-tenders.gov.ie).
The Irish Expert Body on Fluorides and Health, which was set up in April 2004, is made up of experts representing dentistry, public health medicine, toxicology and engineering sectors.
