Since fluoridation became the official policy of the US Public Health Service in 1951, the water in many communities has been fluoridated to protect children from cavities but according to a study at Ireland’s Trinity University, that benefit may extend to older adults.

A anecdotal study that was part of the Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging conducted at the school of dentistry at Trinity College in Dublin included almost 5,000 adults over the age of 50. Subjects were asked how many teeth they had and in some cases, had their bone density checked by ultrasound. Participants who lived in areas where there was fluoridated water were more likely to have all their teeth. The study showed no impact on bone density, as was previously thought.

Fluoridation began in Ireland in 1964 and by 1970, was prevalent in most urban areas. About 85 percent of the water supply in Ireland is fluoridated.

(As reported in New York Times, March 30, 2015.)