Fluoride & Tooth Decay

Controversy over the pros and cons of fluoride continues to rage. On the plus side, fluoride is credited with hardening tooth enamel and preventing decay, and dentists recommend that children use fluoride toothpaste. In the opposing corner, over-exposure to fluoride via the combination of toothpaste and water can cause a condition known as dental fluorosis, characterised by stained, mottled teeth that are increasingly prone to fracture.

The concept of fluoridation (adding fluoride to toothpaste and water) has been with us for decades. Scientists noticed that organic fluorine is required with calcium for healthy teeth and bones. Fluorine as a gas, never occurs in a free state. It is often listed as a trace mineral, a nutrient for human nutrition. This is a different complex to sodium fluoride or sodium monofluorophosphate which are the manmade forms and by product of industrial waste.

There seems to be a growing number of studies that have shown that fluoride in water does not seem to have positive effects on dental health. A German study by Meyer-Lueckel randomly selected 6-9 year old children from 3 Iranian communities; they were unable to find a correlation between the fluoride content of water (0.2 ppm, 0.3 ppm, and 1.3 ppm) and the children's cavity experience.

STUDY: Meyer-Lueckel H, et al. (2006). Caries and fluorosis in 6- and 9-year-old children residing in three communities in Iran. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology 34:63-70.

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