DENTAL HEALTH: Get to the root of a bright smile
..............Dr Orlando Rojas, a Pretoria- based holistic dentist, believes we should not be taking in any fluoride at all, that it is not an essential mineral to dental health, and that there are safer and more effective ways to prevent tooth decay. However, the majority of South African dentists (and dentists worldwide) continue to prescribe fluoride treatments as well as toothpastes.
The fluoride issue remains a contentious one, but the anti-fluoride movement has been gaining some ground recently.
A 500-page review of fluoride’s toxicology was released in 2006 by a panel of experts appointed by the National Research Council (NRC) in the US. The NRC concluded that the safe drinking water standard in the US for fluoride of four parts per million was unsafe and should be lowered. The panel reviewed a large body of literature in which fluoride has a statistically significant association with a wide range of adverse effects in both adults and children. These include an increased risk of bone fractures, decreased thyroid function, lowered IQ, arthritic-like conditions, dental fluorosis and, possibly, osteosarcoma (bone cancer). In fact, up to 32% of Americans suffer from some form of dental fluorosis, according to the report.
Later that year, the American Dental Association made a policy change recommending that only purified, distilled or demineralised water should be used to prepare infant formula during the first 12 months of life. They also urged that children under two years of age stay away from fluoride toothpastes, supplements and mouth rinses unless prescribed by a dentist.
It is not just the safety of fluoride that is under scrutiny though, but also it’s effectiveness.
Another 2007 report issued by the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology concluded that fluoride added to the public water supply, or prescribed as controlled-dose supplements, in addition to causing adverse effects, delivers no discernible health benefit. The Fluoride Action Network, a US-based organisation made up of environmentalists, scientists and medical professionals, issued a statement in 2008 calling for an end to all fluoridation worldwide.................
The fluoride issue remains a contentious one, but the anti-fluoride movement has been gaining some ground recently.
A 500-page review of fluoride’s toxicology was released in 2006 by a panel of experts appointed by the National Research Council (NRC) in the US. The NRC concluded that the safe drinking water standard in the US for fluoride of four parts per million was unsafe and should be lowered. The panel reviewed a large body of literature in which fluoride has a statistically significant association with a wide range of adverse effects in both adults and children. These include an increased risk of bone fractures, decreased thyroid function, lowered IQ, arthritic-like conditions, dental fluorosis and, possibly, osteosarcoma (bone cancer). In fact, up to 32% of Americans suffer from some form of dental fluorosis, according to the report.
Later that year, the American Dental Association made a policy change recommending that only purified, distilled or demineralised water should be used to prepare infant formula during the first 12 months of life. They also urged that children under two years of age stay away from fluoride toothpastes, supplements and mouth rinses unless prescribed by a dentist.
It is not just the safety of fluoride that is under scrutiny though, but also it’s effectiveness.
Another 2007 report issued by the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology concluded that fluoride added to the public water supply, or prescribed as controlled-dose supplements, in addition to causing adverse effects, delivers no discernible health benefit. The Fluoride Action Network, a US-based organisation made up of environmentalists, scientists and medical professionals, issued a statement in 2008 calling for an end to all fluoridation worldwide.................
posted by Bill at
9:51 AM
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