Ireland - The state of our dental health

The state of our dental health
By Eilish O'Regan
Saturday December 03 2011
LEVELS of tooth decay in Irish children have fallen in the past three decades, but it remains a very common childhood disease.
One study found that two-thirds of 15-year-olds have decay in their permanent teeth.
The dental health of the less well-off is worse than in the rest of the population.
Decay levels among medical-card holders are higher.
In 2009, there were 604,772 fillings carried out on medical-card holders, but there were just 221,000 between January and August this year.
Fillings are more cost efficient than dentures in the long-term.
Medical-card holders are entitled to new dentures, which cost about €412 every four years and are a lifetime commitment for the Health Service Executive.
- Eilish O'Regan
Irish Independent

But they have fluorosis from too much fluoride and they still get rotten teeth!