New TILDA Research Brief - Water Flouridation, Oral Status and Bone Health of Older People in Ireland
Research led by Dr Vincent O'Sullivan, (formerly of TILDA, now based in the University of Lancaster) and Professor Brian O'Connell, of the School of Dental Science in Trinity College Dublin has found a positive relationship between higher levels of water fluoridation and oral health, among older people in Ireland.
The purpose of this study was examine the relationship between bone health, maintenance of natural teeth and exposure to fluoridated water in Irish adults over 50 years of age.
The main outcome assessment was bone density measurements from 4977 adults participating in TILDA:
- Bone density was compared to the level of fluoridation in the participants’ local district. No significant difference was found in the bone health of people living in areas with a low or high prevalence of water fluoridation.
- Participants were also asked to report how many natural teeth they had. Adults living in areas with greater water fluoridation were more likely to have maintained their natural teeth.