If you are a human being with a set of teeth, you may have heard that fluoride is necessary for their upkeep and stability. In the early to mid 1900s, researchers found that the use of fluoride reduces dental caries or cavities by 40% or more. They decided that to help lower the amount of dental decay in the general population, including those without regular access to proper dental care, they would add fluoride to the general water source. This way most people would get it in some amount. While this blanket effect, where possible, was effective in closing the dental decay gap between medium and low income communities, there were and still are some concerns. As you might imagine, applying a blanket treatment to an entire population who may or may not already benefit from fluoride dental care products removes the ability for individual assessments and application. While someone who lacks any other kind of dental care may benefit from the fluoridation of their water supply, those who are already using fluoride products may end up with a double dose.
Why is this concerning? Well, at the end of the day, fluoride is a neurotoxin. When you ingest fluoride, it is quickly absorbed in the digestive system, mostly through your stomach lining and the small intestine. While about two-thirds of that amount is still excreted in your urine, the rest is taken up into the bones. This is why for a small period of time, fluoride was considered as a possible treatment of osteoporosis. However, while it does make the bones more dense, research seems to suggest that the brittleness of the bones and ease of fractures might be increased by fluoride, not decreased. Besides dental care, there do not seem to be any negative ramifications to getting no or low amounts of fluoride in one’s diet. So, it doesn’t seem to be essential. Really, the main thing that fluoride has going for it is that it does reduce tooth decay. However, even in that area, too much fluoride can cause what is known as fluorosis. Fluorosis is most prevalent in developed countries and here in the US almost half of all adolescents between 12 and 15 suffered from fluorosis. Fluorosis presents as a whitish discoloration on the surface of the teeth and is a sign that someone is getting too much fluoride most likely from too many sources at the same time.
Besides water fluoridation, other common methods of fluoridation have included milk fluoridation and salt fluoridation. These are actually more prevalent that you might think. Milk was introduced as a mechanism to make sure that small children were getting enough fluoride in their diet. Fluoridated salt is very prevalent in places like Germany or Switzerland where more than 50% of domestic salt is fluoridated. So, we’ve really leaned into the idea that we need this in our diet but besides fluorosis, is there a downside?
Probably. Whenever the scientific community uses terms like “trade-off” and carefully defined parameters on which to make selective recommendations, it’s safe to assume that, yes, there is a set of circumstances in which the subject being discussed could be harmful. For fluoride, it is difficult to pin down general recommendations because, as we mentioned, everyone’s ingestion of fluoride is different. It’s naturally occurring, it’s added to our water, it’s in the air(pollution), it’s in some of our food, particularly if you are a meat eater, and it’s in our dental products. No one is disputing that at the end of the day, fluoride is a toxic chemical. It’s been associated with immune system dysfunction and gastrointestinal issues as well as premature puberty, dementia, and sperm decline. There’s also a chance that it is linked to both cancer and impairing neurological development in kids. Specifically, there may be a link to lower IQ in children. We’ve already talked about how it may be responsible for making bones more brittle and prone to fractures. Being aware of the amount that you as an individual are consuming fluoride may be the only way to protect yourself and your family as assessments of the general population are not going to address individual needs. Resources, like the one included below will allow you to get an idea of how much fluoride you are getting from your water system. Reaching out to your specific company will give you the best estimation. According to the CDC, If that amount is over 0.7mg/L, you might want to take steps to limit the amount of fluoride you are getting from other sources. Check out our resources below for additional reading and information about the fluoride content in your county!
Resources:
CDC - MWF - My Water's Fluoride Home
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/04/why-fluoride-water/606784/