USA - Bottled water's lack of beneficial fluoride worries dentists
It seems so wholesome.
Getting the kids to quaff bottled water instead of pop or sweetened juice appears to be the picture of health. No sugar, no calories. But, no fluoride. And that's the rub. If children are drinking all their water from bottles, there's a chance they're not getting the amount of fluoride in their diet that dentists recommend. Fluoride is a natural compound added to drinking water to reduce the incidence of tooth cavities. More than 65 percent of the U.S. population lives in locations where fluoride is added to public drinking water. Yakima's municipal supply is fluoridated, as are water systems in several Lower Valley towns. "Fluoride is a naturally occurring health additive that is scientifically undisputed for its benefit and safety for all ages," says Dr. Russell Maier of Yakima, who co-chaired the committee that successfully shepherded the campaign to fluoridate Yakima's drinking water in 1999.
Fluoridated water is not without its detractors; some are suspicious of adding any compound to drinking water. But according to Maier, fluoridated water has been an enormous boon to dental health. "In terms of beneficial public health interventions over the last century, fluoride in water is in the top 10, along with immunizations," the family physician says. "There's nothing as cheap or as effective." Yet, increasing numbers of people, including children, are drinking bottled water, which generally contains little fluoride. Some people say they drink bottled water because they don't like the taste of tap water; others believe tap water is less pure.
Americans spent nearly $8 billion on bottled water last year. It's now the second-most consumed beverage in the nation, second only to pop. It beats coffee, beer and milk. And that raises a concern. According to the Journal of the American Dental Association, people who get their water only from bottles "could be missingthe decay-preventative benefitsof fluoride."
The biggest impact of fluoride is on children, Maier says. It helps all ages, notes Yakimadentist Doran Riehl, who served asco-chairman with Maier on the city's fluoride committee.
"What a lot of people don't realize is that adults benefit from fluoride, too," he points out.
Maier concurs, adding, "In older patients, as the gum line recedes, fluoride helps keep the softer part of the tooth from developing cavities." So far, there are no statistics linking cavities with the proliferation of bottled water, according to Riehl. "To my knowledge, no large, long-term studies have been done on whether drinking just bottled water increases the cavity rate," he says. "But it stands to reason that the decay rate will be higher." Parents such as Devan and John Bartlett of Yakima admit they're caught in a bit of a beverage bind. They eschew pop because of its sugar content and instead serve bottled water to their two children, Nicole, 5, and Johnny, 8.
The four Bartletts drink an average of two to three cases of bottled water a month.
"We're a bottled water family," confirms Devan.
"It's so convenient," she says. "We come and go a lot, and it's perfect for traveling." While the children may not be getting fluoride in their bottled water, the Bartletts are conscientious about seeking other sources of the compound. They take their children to the dentist every six months and use toothpaste with fluoride. In many cases that's enough, says Yakima dentist Lyle Bonny.
While noting that "dentists believe fluoride is very beneficial in preventing cavities," Bonny thinks that many children receive adequate amounts of fluoride even if they drink bottled water exclusively. "Here in the Valley, if kids are brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and getting fluoride treatments every six months from their dentist, then I'm not concerned," he says. Bonny adds, "If I had to choose between bottled water without fluoride and a bottle of sugary juice for a child, I'd go with the bottled water every time." Maier worries about adults and children who don't have access to dental care; that's when fluoridated water is most beneficial, he says. A recent visit to a local grocery store found eight different brands of bottled water for sale, with one labeled as containing fluoride.
So is that the answer? Buy the bottles that advertise their fluoride content? "I'd rather have people just open their taps," answers Riehl. Nor does bottled water labeled with fluoride necessarily contain the same amount as municipal tap water, as the Journal of the American Dental Association article notes. "While the content of bottled water varies greatly, the vast majority do not contain optimal levels of fluoride," the publication states. In addition, says Maier, tap water is tested and overseen more stringently than bottled water is. "Bottled water is the greatest hoax foisted on the public," Maier contends. "There's no assurance of its safety."
Both Maier and Riehl admit they're not fans of the bottled water phenomenon. "There's no end in sight to the bottles," says Riehl. Maier points to the environmental impact of bottled water, with cases being trucked around the country and the use of petroleum in manufacturing the plastic containers. There's also the issue of empties. According to the Sierra Club, an environmental group, only about 20 percent of plastic water bottles are recycled. "Where's all that plastic going?" Riehl asks. Adds Maier, "Bottled water is all about marketing."
Getting the kids to quaff bottled water instead of pop or sweetened juice appears to be the picture of health. No sugar, no calories. But, no fluoride. And that's the rub. If children are drinking all their water from bottles, there's a chance they're not getting the amount of fluoride in their diet that dentists recommend. Fluoride is a natural compound added to drinking water to reduce the incidence of tooth cavities. More than 65 percent of the U.S. population lives in locations where fluoride is added to public drinking water. Yakima's municipal supply is fluoridated, as are water systems in several Lower Valley towns. "Fluoride is a naturally occurring health additive that is scientifically undisputed for its benefit and safety for all ages," says Dr. Russell Maier of Yakima, who co-chaired the committee that successfully shepherded the campaign to fluoridate Yakima's drinking water in 1999.
Fluoridated water is not without its detractors; some are suspicious of adding any compound to drinking water. But according to Maier, fluoridated water has been an enormous boon to dental health. "In terms of beneficial public health interventions over the last century, fluoride in water is in the top 10, along with immunizations," the family physician says. "There's nothing as cheap or as effective." Yet, increasing numbers of people, including children, are drinking bottled water, which generally contains little fluoride. Some people say they drink bottled water because they don't like the taste of tap water; others believe tap water is less pure.
Americans spent nearly $8 billion on bottled water last year. It's now the second-most consumed beverage in the nation, second only to pop. It beats coffee, beer and milk. And that raises a concern. According to the Journal of the American Dental Association, people who get their water only from bottles "could be missingthe decay-preventative benefitsof fluoride."
The biggest impact of fluoride is on children, Maier says. It helps all ages, notes Yakimadentist Doran Riehl, who served asco-chairman with Maier on the city's fluoride committee.
"What a lot of people don't realize is that adults benefit from fluoride, too," he points out.
Maier concurs, adding, "In older patients, as the gum line recedes, fluoride helps keep the softer part of the tooth from developing cavities." So far, there are no statistics linking cavities with the proliferation of bottled water, according to Riehl. "To my knowledge, no large, long-term studies have been done on whether drinking just bottled water increases the cavity rate," he says. "But it stands to reason that the decay rate will be higher." Parents such as Devan and John Bartlett of Yakima admit they're caught in a bit of a beverage bind. They eschew pop because of its sugar content and instead serve bottled water to their two children, Nicole, 5, and Johnny, 8.
The four Bartletts drink an average of two to three cases of bottled water a month.
"We're a bottled water family," confirms Devan.
"It's so convenient," she says. "We come and go a lot, and it's perfect for traveling." While the children may not be getting fluoride in their bottled water, the Bartletts are conscientious about seeking other sources of the compound. They take their children to the dentist every six months and use toothpaste with fluoride. In many cases that's enough, says Yakima dentist Lyle Bonny.
While noting that "dentists believe fluoride is very beneficial in preventing cavities," Bonny thinks that many children receive adequate amounts of fluoride even if they drink bottled water exclusively. "Here in the Valley, if kids are brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and getting fluoride treatments every six months from their dentist, then I'm not concerned," he says. Bonny adds, "If I had to choose between bottled water without fluoride and a bottle of sugary juice for a child, I'd go with the bottled water every time." Maier worries about adults and children who don't have access to dental care; that's when fluoridated water is most beneficial, he says. A recent visit to a local grocery store found eight different brands of bottled water for sale, with one labeled as containing fluoride.
So is that the answer? Buy the bottles that advertise their fluoride content? "I'd rather have people just open their taps," answers Riehl. Nor does bottled water labeled with fluoride necessarily contain the same amount as municipal tap water, as the Journal of the American Dental Association article notes. "While the content of bottled water varies greatly, the vast majority do not contain optimal levels of fluoride," the publication states. In addition, says Maier, tap water is tested and overseen more stringently than bottled water is. "Bottled water is the greatest hoax foisted on the public," Maier contends. "There's no assurance of its safety."
Both Maier and Riehl admit they're not fans of the bottled water phenomenon. "There's no end in sight to the bottles," says Riehl. Maier points to the environmental impact of bottled water, with cases being trucked around the country and the use of petroleum in manufacturing the plastic containers. There's also the issue of empties. According to the Sierra Club, an environmental group, only about 20 percent of plastic water bottles are recycled. "Where's all that plastic going?" Riehl asks. Adds Maier, "Bottled water is all about marketing."
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