Journal of public health dentistry
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The visit of Dr. Trendley Dean to Dublin in the mid-1950s helped accelerate the decision to introduce water fluoridation as a public health measure in the prevention of caries in the Republic of Ireland. ⋯ Currently, 67 percent of the 3.5 million people in the country reside in fluoridated communities. Studies conducted over the last 20 years show that residents of fluoridated communities have better dental health than those in nonfluoridated communities--the mean dmft is lower in children and the number of natural teeth present in adults is higher.