Study Questions Benefits of Fluoride in Drinking Water at Preventing Tooth Decay

Widespread use of fluoride in toothpaste may have reduced the value of adding the mineral to tap water.

Although fluoride has been added to drinking water for decades, the findings of a new study suggests that it may not provide children with the same dental benefits it once did.

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that is known to strengthen teeth and gums. For this reason, health experts have recommended that communities add the mineral to drinking water since the 1950s, after studies demonstrated a significant reduction in childhood tooth decay from drinking water enriched with fluoride.

However, recent research has associated fluoride with various health issues, including concerns that the currently approved levels of fluoride in water may lower children’s IQ. This recently led a California judge to order the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to review safe fluoride levels in tap water.

Amid these growing concerns, a study published this month in the medical journal Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews suggests that the benefits children now received from drinking fluoridated water may not be as substantial as they once were, largely due to the widespread use of fluoridated toothpaste.

Did You Know?

Change Healthcare Data Breach Impacts Millions of Customers

A massive Change Healthcare data breach exposed the names, social security numbers, medical and personal information of potentially 100 million Americans, which have now been released on the dark web. Lawsuits are being pursued to obtain financial compensation.

Learn More

The study was conducted by a team of researchers led by Anne-Marie Glenny, of the University of Manchester in the U.K., finding that data published since 1975 shows little improvement in preventing tooth decay among children exposed to drinking water with fluoride added.

The researchers concluded that this shift can be attributed to the increased use of fluoride in toothpaste over the past decades.

Glenny’s team looked at data from 21 studies on how adding fluoride to community water affects children’s tooth decay, and one study on stopping fluoride use.

By analyzing data on over 3,000 children from the U.K. and Australia since 1975, researchers observed an average reduction of 0.24 decayed teeth per child compared to before 1975, when fluoride was not commonly used in toothpaste.

Additionally, the study found insufficient evidence to determine whether fluoridated water significantly reduces tooth decay in the permanent teeth of children or adults.

The team further reviewed 135 additional studies on links between fluoride in water and dental fluorosis, which is a harmless condition where white or brown specks appear on a person’s teeth from the overconsumption of fluoride in childhood.

This research showed that adding fluoride to water at the current limit of 0.7 mg/L causes about 40% of people to develop dental fluorosis. However, only 12% of those will have it at a noticeable or bothersome level.

Glenny indicated that her findings are insufficient to determine if water fluoridation is actually helpful with regard to tooth decay. Her conclusion was that this research shows there is no reason to stop adding fluoride to community water supplies, despite evidence showing a decrease in benefits since the widespread use of fluoridated toothpaste.

0 Comments

Share Your Comments

I authorize the above comments be posted on this page*

Want your comments reviewed by a lawyer?

To have an attorney review your comments and contact you about a potential case, provide your contact information below. This will not be published.

NOTE: Providing information for review by an attorney does not form an attorney-client relationship.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

More Top Stories

Hair Relaxer Lawsuits Moving Forward Simultaneously in Federal MDL and Various State Courts
Hair Relaxer Lawsuits Moving Forward Simultaneously in Federal MDL and Various State Courts (Posted today)

Lawyers will meet today with the federal judge presiding over all hair relaxer lawsuits, as women diagnosed with uterine, endometrial and ovarian cancer continue to file claims throughout the U.S. court system.

SteriCare Sodium Chloride Lawsuit Claims Recalled Saline Solution Caused Infection, Wrongful Death
SteriCare Sodium Chloride Lawsuit Claims Recalled Saline Solution Caused Infection, Wrongful Death (Posted today)

A California couple has filed a SteriCare recall lawsuit, indicating they were prescribed contaminated sodium chloride solution that they used on their son's legs, leading to his death.

Silicosis Lawsuit Filed Against Artificial Stone Manufacturers, Distributors
Silicosis Lawsuit Filed Against Artificial Stone Manufacturers, Distributors (Posted yesterday)

An artificial stone countertop fabricator and installer has filed a lawsuit after he developed a debilitating lung disease, known as silicosis, alleging that manufacturers failed to protect workers from inhaling dangerous amounts of silica dust.