Fluoride: a beneficial poison?

That the Collective Preventive Service recommends the use of toothpaste and mouth water containing fluoride may surprise some readers. After all, fluoride has been at the center of disputes in many countries. Its use is, at least, controversial. Medicalnewstoday.com published the following information about the controversy.

A growing number of people are asking why we are being “medicated” in such large numbers without being consulted first. Surely, if fluoride is a medication and is being added to our water supply, shouldn’t this occur with our approval?

There is also concern that perhaps it is not possible to accurately control exactly how much fluoride people receive, or monitor their response.

Not all studies regarding water fluoridation have produced encouraging results.

Harvard scientists found that fluoride might well lower people’s IQ. After carrying out a review of fluoride/brain studies, the researchers said, “Our results support the possibility of adverse effects of fluoride exposures on children’s neurodevelopment.”

Their study was published in the July 2012 edition of Environmental Health Perspectives.

Despite claiming that the fluoridation of drinking water is seen as “one of the ten great public health achievements of the 20th century”, the US Department of Health and the US Environmental Protection Agency announced in January 2011 that they would like to set the recommended level of fluoride at the lowest end of the optimal range to prevent tooth decay.

Some have wondered why US public health authorities would suddenly decide to bring fluoride levels down – was it pressure from a growing number of people who have been campaigning against water fluoridation? The HHS said it was to make sure that the incidence of dental fluorosis among children is kept to a minimum. The HHS said that the recommended range from 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water should be altered to just 0.78 milligrams, with no upper limit.

New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc., in 2007, quoted a study that reviewed English-language fluoridation studies from January 2001 to June 2006 which found “Several epidemiological studies conducted in fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities suggest that [fluoridation] may be unnecessary for caries prevention…”

New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation also reported that women who avoided fluoride were less likely to develop anemia during pregnancy, had a lower risk of giving birth prematurely, and gave birth to heavier babies.

Fluoride was found to be linked to gum disease, according to an article published in the Indian Journal of Dental Research.

The Green Party in the UK say that fluoride is a poison, claiming that water fluoridation violates Article 35 of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights, is a banned substance according to the UK Poisons Act of 1972, violates Articles 3 and 8 of the Human Rights Act, and raises issues under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

According to the Green Party: “There is little conclusive evidence that fluoride reduces the incidence of dental caries (tooth decay) but it is known to increase dental fluorosis (mottled and pitted teeth).

Mass studies from the US, Canada and New Zealand show little difference in levels of decayed, missing and filled teeth between fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas. However, a third of children in fluoridated West Midlands suffer from dental fluorosis.”

After all this criticism, here is the official scientific opinion about fluoride.

The use of adding fluoride to drinking water – water fluoridation – is endorsed by the World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, the British Dental Association and the American Dental Association.

“The American Dental Association unreservedly endorses the fluoridation of community water supplies as safe, effective and necessary in preventing tooth decay. This support has been the Association’s position since policy was first adopted in 1950,” the American Dental Association states on its web site.

The association says that fluoridation of community water supplies is only an adjustment of the naturally-occurring fluoride levels in drinking water to an ideal level recommended by the US Public Health Service – 0.7 to 1.2 parts per million.

The aim is to prevent tooth decay. The dental association says that “water that has been fortified with fluoride is similar to fortifying milk with Vitamin D, table salt with iodine, and bread and cereals with folic acid”.

The British National Health Service quoted a UK study which compared levels of tooth decay among very young children in areas where drinking water was not fluoridated to those living in areas where fluoridation occurred.

The researchers found that there was 60% less tooth decay among the children living in the fluoridated water areas.

According to Health Canada “The optimal concentration of fluoride in drinking water for dental health has been determined to be 0.7 mg/L for communities who wish to fluoridate. This concentration provides optimal dental health benefits and is well below the MAC to protect against adverse effects.”

Canadian Dental Association President Dr. Ron G. Smith described water fluoridation as one of the greatest preventative measure we have in the fight against dental decay. “There is clear evidence that fluoride helps natural tooth enamel re-mineralize and jurisdictions around the world support water fluoridation, as do we. It is important that everyone understands the facts and the benefits of fluoride.”

The Australian Department of Health and Ageing confirmed that according to the most up-to-date evidence, fluoride in the water system is safe and effective for people of all ages.