Objective: To measure the duration and pattern of exposure to domestic water fluoridation of children participating in FACCT from Counties Cork and Dublin.
Method: Maps of all water schemes in Cork and Dublin were obtained from council water services departments, along with spreadsheets detailing the history of water fluoridation levels (monthly ppm values) at each of the plants for the last 14 years (2001 - 2014). The primary stratification factor for the sample was the fluoridation status of the child’s school, but the analyses are conducted at the level of the child’s domestic address(es).
Result: Of the 347 primary schools in Cork, 220 (63.4%) are currently fluoridated (F), with the remaining 127 (36.6%) non-fluoridated (NF). In Cork 134 schools; 59 F and 75 NF, were selected to achieve a sample size of 1565 F and 1047 NF participants. In Dublin, there are 434 primary schools, all F; 92 schools were selected to achieve a sample size of 2134 F participants. Further analyses will use each individual participant's current and former home address(es) to establish their lifelong history of domestic water fluoridation exposure.
Conclusion: Investigating exposure to domestic water fluoridation is a complex and time consuming multi-level process. Considerable resources are required to facilitate the gathering and use of such data in oral health surveillance.