actuality the “optimal” (most desirable or satisfactory) level is
virtually impossible to calculate because of variations in fluoride
levels in all sorts of foods and beverages.
example, people living in temperate climates drink less than those in
tropical climates. However, it cannot even be assumed that because a
person lives in a community with non-fluoridated water, they are
receiving low levels of fluoride. Fluoride ingestion can also result
from drinking substantial amounts of soft drinks or juices. Most
bottled waters contain less than 0.3 ppm; however, some contain close
to or more than 1 ppm.”
"Breast
milk and cow's milk are very low in fluoride,” says Ismail.
Manufacturers voluntarily lowered fluoride levels in infant formula.
But when concentrated infant formula is mixed with fluoridated water,
infant formula fluoride levels are higher, says Dr. Ismail. Federal
agencies, health departments and organized dentistry advise using
non-fluoridated water to make infant formula to avoid damaging babies'
teeth.
“Also,
soy-based formulas are consistently higher in fluoride content than
milk-based products. Other foods that have high fluoride content are
teas, dry infant cereals and processed chicken, fish and seafood
products,” says Ismail.
“It
should also be emphasized that “topical” fluorides such as toothpaste
can also have a systemic effect if inadvertently swallowed by young
children,” cautions Dr. Ismail. Fluoride also gets absorbed into the
bloodstream even when not swallowed.
"Tooth
mottling should be monitored in communities to assess fluoride intake
and recommendations made accordingly,” writes Ismail.
However,
few communities follow Dr. Ismail's advice and fluoridate the water
without considering residents’ total fluoride intake from other
sources. In fact, a Connersville, Indiana, study indicated children
already ingested too much fluoride; but dentists lobbied successfully
for fluoridation anyway. To our knowledge, no dental fluorosis studies
have ever been published on this population.
Dr.
Ismail questions whether mild fluorosis is acceptable any more with
esthetics becoming more important in this day and age. He says,
“decisions concerning this tradeoff could warrant reconsideration.
Fluorosis varies in appearance from small white striations to stained
pitting and severe brown mottling of enamel,” he writes.
“The
main documented risk factors for fluorosis (in no particular order) are
fluoride in water, infant formula reconstituted with fluoridated
water, supplements and dentifrices,” he writes.
Dr.
Ismail reports that “Commissioned by the EPA, a 2006 National Research
Council (NRC) study has sparked the latest controversy. In addition to
unsightly enamel fluorosis at 4 ppm and above, it claims: a possible
increased risk of bone fracture in certain conditions; skeletal
fluorosis; and potential to cause bone cancer...”
“Fluoride
is incorporated into bone...after a point though it can make bone more
brittle and at higher levels can cause “skeletal” fluorosis, which has
a greater potential for painful joints and even fractures,” reports
Ismail.
“The
over use of fluoride during the first six to eight years of life
represents the important period of tooth development when enamel
fluorosis can occur. It is critical for parents to monitor fluoride
sources to reduce the occurrence of white spots from fluorosis,” he
writes.
The
Centers for Disease Control reports that 60% of adolescents now
suffer with dental fluorosis – 3% of it is moderate or severe. At the
same time tooth decay rates are increasing in toddlers and untreated
tooth decay has become epidemic.
In Kentucky, despite a 1977 fluoridation state-wide mandate, preschoolers cavity rates went from 28% in 1987 to 47% in 2001, according to the July/August 2003 journal, Pediatric Dentistry,
to an 11/27/2011 news article, “In recent years, Northern Kentucky
health officials have encountered more children with cavities in a
state known for some of the worst teeth in the nation. Kentucky has the
second highest rate of toothlessness in the U.S. The national average
is 20.5 percent, while 38 percent of Kentuckians have lost their
teeth.”(2)
"I've seen too many 5-year-olds with rampant decay who are going to
have a body full of abscesses, if (their dental problems) aren't taken
care of," Poynter said.
article continues, “In recent years, pupils in the Northern Kentucky
schools that the local health department visits are experiencing more
tooth decay. The percentage of students with tooth decay was 45 percent
in 2009. That rose to 47 percent in 2010, and so far this school year,
49 percent of the children screened have tooth decay.”
It’s not just Kentucky, tooth decay went up after fluoridation began in San Antonio, Texas, also.
Last week, KENS 5 – TV reported “After
9 years and $3 million of adding fluoride, research shows tooth decay
hasn’t dropped among the poorest of Bexar County’s children. It has
only increased—up 13% in 2010, the latest date that data was available.
One out of two children in the Head Start program who were checked for cavities had some decay last year.”
Actually tooth decay crises are occurring in all fluoridated cities, states and countries.
Fluoride Supplements Just as Useless
Dr. Ismail reported "There
is weak and inconsistent evidence that the use of fluoride supplements
prevents dental caries [cavities] in primary teeth," according to a
systematic review of fluoride supplement research published in the
November 2008 Journal of the American Dental Association. Dr. Ismail is
also an organizer of the American Dental Association Clinical
Recommendation Panels on Fluoride Supplement.
“This
review confirmed that, in non-fluoridated communities, the use of
fluoride supplements during the first 6 years of life is associated
with a significant increase in the risk of developing dental fluorosis,
write researchers Ismail&Bandekar and first published in
Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, February 1999 and to the
ADA's website July 2007 but then taken down.
The FDA never safety tested nor approved fluoride supplements for use in children or adults.(4)
References:
1) Dear Doctor Magazine, “Fluoride&Fluoridation in Dentistry”
2) “N.Ky. kids' teeth at risk,” NKY.com
“Added to our drinking water: A chemical 'more toxic than lead'? “ by Joe Conger
