I'm an environmental scientist: What every dental hygienist should know about fears over fluoride

'It can be really easy to come away with a false impression that EPA and CDC are at odds with each other about fluoride when, in fact, they both agree that fluoride is beneficial in water at low levels and is unhealthy if it is too high.'

By Effie Greathouse, PhD

Much confusion and misinformation floats around out there about fluoride and fluoridation—and a significant amount of that confusion is environmentally-minded. Lots of people are scared about fluoride being toxic. Memes characterizing fluoridation and fluoride products as hazardous waste and part of an industrial pollution scheme have been persistent since the discovery of fluoride’s role in caries prevention in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.

In my opinion, as an environmental scientist turned fluoride science enthusiast, the confusion isn’t just because of conspiracy theorists........

Nys Cof14 hours ago

You wrote a lot of words to say relatively little.  The turth is that both proponents and opponents of fluoridation agree that too much fluoride is a bad thing.  Adding fluoride chemicals into public water supplies allows an unknown quantity of fluoride to flow into our bodies from  water supplies and foods made with that fluoridated water.  As a result, about 60% of adolescents are afflicted with dental fluorosis.  Dentists make a good living covering up fluoride-damaged teeth.  This also enables them to shun low income folks whose insurance or pocketbooks won't give them the cash they so desire.  As a result millions of Americans are suffering with oral health that looks like they are from third world countries.  It's time to stop throwing fluoride chemicals at the problem of untreated tooth decay.  Either mandate that dentists treat all who seek it or legalize dental therapists who will go into mouths and areas where dentists refuse to go.