USA - Is Fluoride Good for You?
Bill Chameides.Dean of Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment
Posted: September 14, 2010 05:15 PM The Chemical Marketplace Series - Drinking It In: Is Fluoride Good for You?...................
So, What to Conclude About Fluoridating Water?
Fluoridation, controversial in the '50s, is still controversial today. Maybe fluoridation fights cavities, maybe not. Maybe it's safe, maybe not. But there's one more wrinkle.
When the U.S. policy to fluoridate our drinking water was first developed, scientists and dentists believed that only ingested fluoride benefited teeth. We now know that that's not true. Topical application (e.g., from brushing teeth with toothpaste) is also effective at reducing cavities, by about 24 percent on average, though it's not without its own risks. In the decades since 1955 when Crest with stannous fluoride first hit the market, it's become hard to find a toothpaste without fluoride. Do we need fluoridation if we've got fluoride toothpaste?
All this makes me wonder, could fluoridating drinking water now be as anachronistic as fears of a communist plot?
Posted: September 14, 2010 05:15 PM The Chemical Marketplace Series - Drinking It In: Is Fluoride Good for You?...................
So, What to Conclude About Fluoridating Water?
Fluoridation, controversial in the '50s, is still controversial today. Maybe fluoridation fights cavities, maybe not. Maybe it's safe, maybe not. But there's one more wrinkle.
When the U.S. policy to fluoridate our drinking water was first developed, scientists and dentists believed that only ingested fluoride benefited teeth. We now know that that's not true. Topical application (e.g., from brushing teeth with toothpaste) is also effective at reducing cavities, by about 24 percent on average, though it's not without its own risks. In the decades since 1955 when Crest with stannous fluoride first hit the market, it's become hard to find a toothpaste without fluoride. Do we need fluoridation if we've got fluoride toothpaste?
All this makes me wonder, could fluoridating drinking water now be as anachronistic as fears of a communist plot?
posted by Bill at
9:32 AM
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