A British expert on fluoridation has been invited to Ireland by a number of groups to explain the potential dangers of excessive fluoride intake. Dr Peter Mansfield will address Kildare County Council on April 30 about the effects of fluoride on the individual.

Dr Mansfield, who sits on the British Medical Council's Fluoride Working Group, will reveal the results from a decade of individual tests he has conducted in the Midlands, the only region of the UK to be significantly fluoridated.

Adding fluoride to drinking water is known to protect against dental caries, but some experts have argued that such mass medication may be linked to neurological and developmental problems in some children.

The UK is currently undergoing a review of all water fluoridation, which is not practised in the majority of regions in Europe. Ireland has compulsory fluoridation and over 70% of drinking water in Ireland has fluoride added.

A Forum on fluoridation is due to report to the Health Minister later this year.