Opinion: Fluoride serves an important public health role
The benefits of fluoride have been evident for decades, showing to support and strengthen tooth enamel, protect against dental decay and gum disease-causing bacteria, prevent and potentially reverse early-stage cavities, stimulate the growth of osteoblasts to improve bone health and enhance overall health, Caroline Tien, a nutrition and fitness writer, wrote in an opinion piece published in Self. She explained how fluoride has been added to community water supplies in the United States for over 80 years and is a mineral that’s naturally occurring at low levels in nearly all water as a result of weathering processes. Recent studies have demonstrated that compared with residents of communities that don’t practice water fluoridation, those who reside in communities that do practice water fluoridation had lower rates of periodontal disease.
As a result of the mineral’s long history of benefits, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services currently advises adding 0.7 milligrams per liter of fluoride to drinking water to improve dental decay. The practice of adding fluoride to drinking water extends back to the 1940s, after which the high rate of dental decay started to noticeably decline. Although toothpastes, mouthrinses and dental care can more adequately protect the teeth from decay than water fluoridation, many Americans — including those residing in lower income communities — have limited access to these resources, thereby making fluoridated drinking water critical to oral health.
Despite the positive effects of fluoride, there is a movement to end community water fluoridation. Fluoridation opponents have falsely linked typical fluoride exposure to arthritis, bone fractures, bone malignancies, low IQ, neurodevelopmental disorders and thyroid disease. Even though research has shown that prolonged exposure to very high levels of fluoride can increase the risk of bone fractures and osteoarthritis, most of the opponents’ claims are based in correlations rather than causations, in vitro studies, mouse models or human studies with skewed data and a significant risk of bias. Ms. Tien underscored that research doesn’t support the elimination of fluoride from drinking water. Rather, community water fluoridation has proven an effective strategy to improve oral health among Americans.
Read more: Self
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