The Minister for Health and Children, Micheál Martin TD established the Irish Expert Body on Fluorides and Health in April 2004. It has broad representation from the areas of dentistry, public health medicine, toxicology, engineering, management, environment and the public, as identified within the Report of the Forum on Fluoridation.
The work of the Expert Body is to identify and implement the necessary measures to ensure that this vital element of public health policy is delivered in line with the Forum on Fluoridation Report (2002) Recommendations and that the systems employed to give effect to these are sound, transparent, and meet the highest standards of quality assurance and accountability.
The Dental Health Foundation (DHF) acts as the Secretariat to the Expert Body. In this role the DHF provides support to the Expert Body in the organisation of meetings; the development of the work agenda and the management and co-ordination of research initiatives; and the duties associated with the implementation of decisions taken by the Expert Body.
Detailed information relating to the Expert Body and its progress to-date is available at http://www.fluoridesandhealth.ie/.