Fluoride addition to drinking water has benefitted dental health among millions of Americans for several decades. However, it has also been the subject of controversy for decades, and the recent conflict has been reawakened.
Some hail it as a public health blessing; others question its safety and need in drinking water. What is fluoride, what is its history in water fluoridation, and what do current studies say about it regarding health?
Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral found in soil, water, and food. It is known mainly for its ability to harden teeth and prevent cavities. Fluoride's application may allow for the remineralization of the enamel and prevention of the initial stages of tooth decay.
The very first water fluoridation trial was launched by researchers in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1945 to determine whether the introduction of fluoride into the water supply could have a pronounced effect on caries experience in children.
Thereby, the experiment witnessed great success, and fluoridation grew rapidly in support throughout the USA in the ensuing decades.
Not without its opposition, the fluoridation of drinking water faced challenges in several quarters. The safety of fluoride would continue to be debated up to the present day; other debates would be about whether communities ought to be safeguarded regarding access to fluoride-free water, almost as if this would scientifically carry on till 2025.
Fluoride is supposed to increase the strength of your tooth enamel layer, thus preventing cavity formation. The CDC has reported, "Continued studies have shown that widespread community water fluoridation is effective in reducing cavities and cost-effective for both families and health care systems."
Dr. Lauren Becker Dentistry, or Dr. Lauren Becker, New York City-based owner and general dentist, elaborates on saying to Food and Wine, "Fluoride is an extra shield to strengthen teeth against the daily forces of chewing, drinking, and eating, while also keeping the teeth really strong."
"Intelligence development and all have it," Becker says. "There is a belief that fluoride in drinking water causes other health problems, such as thyroid problems, or something else damages bone health. Scientific evidence is missing for that." She explained, "It's true that overexposure to fluoride could create some problems."
Thus, practically all of the health establishments—the American Cancer Society and City of Hope, a nonprofit clinical research center for cancer—have declared that fluoridation does not seem to have a clear or conclusive link to cancer.
Do you care about keeping the integrity of your drinking water's fluoridation? The CDC has a web portal called My Water's Fluoride, where you can easily check and find out the amounts of fluoride in your drinking water at the local level. Through this utility, everyone can check if their local drinking water is fluoridated and what the amount of fluoride is there.
The biggest problem untreated tooth decay can cause is pain, infection, or loss of the tooth altogether, and it can interrupt some daily chores like eating or speaking. Further, the costs associated with dental complications could be quite substantial, as fillings, root canals, extractions, and the like cost quite a bit, both personally and in terms of the entire health system.
Fluoridation should have been researched for a long time, but as it stands, most dentists will support the argument that it would probably benefit your teeth as well as the whole community if controlled within accepted limits.