Is Water Fluoridation Safe and Helpful?

Is Fluoride in Water Beneficial?
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) considers putting fluoride in the nation's water supply one of their "10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century." Water in many communities across America has been undergoing fluoridation for over 65 years now, and studies show that tooth decay declined significantly over this period. Fluoridation is something with definite public health benefits. The benefits far outweigh the risk.

Benefits of Fluorider
Adding fluoride to the community water supply may seem unnatural, but in fact fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that is often already present in water sources. Scientists first discovered the tooth-decay-fighting properties of fluoride in the 1930s, when they noticed that the teeth of people whose water contained high levels of naturally occurring fluoride tended to be healthier and less prone to enamel loss and tooth decay than the teeth of your average citizen. Based on scientific studies, experts now believe that adding fluoride to water can reduce tooth decay by up to 25 percent over the course of a person's life.

Of course, there are plenty of other ways to get extra fluoride, besides putting it in the water. However, not everyone can afford the various fluoridated toothpastes and mouthwashes that dentists recommend. And, let's be honest--many people who can afford these products simply choose not to use them because they are lax about their dental health. But, when the fluoride is in the water supply, everyone gets to receive the benefits of fluoride, both through drinking tap water and through consuming food cooked with the water.

Fluoridated water is accessible to all socio-economic classes, and it is also a very cost-effective way of improving the nation's dental health. In cities with more than 20,000 residents, the estimated cost of fluoridating the water is about 50 cents per person. Plus, it is believed that for every $1 spent on fluoride, $38 in dental services are avoided.

Modern Perception of Fluorider
In recent years, excess fluoride consumption has been associated with increased risk of bone fractures and dental or even skeletal fluorosis (a condition involving pitting in the surface of teeth or bones).

For adults, fluorosis most often occurs in people who are drinking water with too much naturally occurring fluoride. While the EPA considers water with 4 milligrams of natural fluoride per liter drinkable, they recommend 2 mg/L as a safer standard. When fluoride is added to tap water, the concentration is between 0.7 and 1.2 mg/L.

Young children may be at risk for dental fluorosis (damage to developing tooth enamel) if they drink water with more than 2 mg/L of fluoride, or if they consume too much fluoridated toothpaste. That's why the CDC and toothpaste manufacturers recommend that children between 2 and 6 use only a tiny amount of toothpaste and rinse their mouths well afterwards.

Today, about 73.9 percent of Americans have access to community water with fluoride. That figure is set to rise to 79.6 percent by 2020. So, as you can see, despite the occasional public backlash against it, the benefits of fluoride are real and fluoridated water is here to stay.

Fluoridation is something with definite public health benefits. The benefits far outweigh the risk.