The Fluoride Debate


Fluoride is used in toothpaste as it is able to reduce tooth decay by strengthening tooth enamel. Fluoride binds to enamel to make it more resistant to acid attack from bacteria. It is naturally found in water supplies but varies in amount depending on the area. However, in the early 20th century research led to finding that levels of tooth decay within a population were linked with the fluoride levels in drinking water. As a result, water fluoridation was introduced in an attempt to improve overall dental health. 

Fluoridation is debated due to the worry about whether or not fluoride is safe and whether or not it is right to mass medicate a population. It has proved to be effective though, as research has found that children in water fluoridation scheme areas are less likely to develop tooth decay than those who aren’t. 

Dental fluorosis is caused by ingesting too high a dose of fluoride over a period of time whilst the teeth are still developing. It is recognised as the appearance of white lines which can the form pits and brown spots in severe cases. This is a rare condition as fluoride levels in water are highly monitored to prevent situations like this from becoming an issue.

The Fluoride Action Network (http://fluoridealert.org/) leads anti-fluoridation campaigns and has promoted a paper linking fluoride to cancer, heart disease, infertility, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and many other health issues. However, the paper has been discredited due to the lack of solid scientific evidence. Still, many communities refuse fluoridation to which there is suggestion these populations are suffering as a result. 

Overall, water fluoridation has been shown to improve overall dental health; especially in children; but now people wonder as to whether it is out-dated and worry about the health risks in ingesting too much. I believe it is a good idea as child tooth decay is on the rise and so long as the fluoride levels are monitored there are no other obvious risks. It has been proven that fluoridation has improved tooth decay so I think it should continue to be implemented.

Thank you for reading!

Written by Lizzie Nash

Sources
https://www.nature.com/articles/bdjteam201856
https://ilikemyteeth.org/what-is-fluorosis/
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/fluoride/

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