Fluoride in Our Water?

An Issue You Can Sink Your Teeth Into

By Alyson English

Many hot-button medical issues get a lot of media attention. Most people could have an informed conversation about topics like stem-cell research, alternative cancer treatments or vaccinations. But there is another battle waging behind the scenes in many municipalities across the country: the battle over fluoridation.

Angie Roberts, a mom from Indiana, says she knows just enough about fluoridation to make her wary. "I'm not sure where I stand on [fluoridation]," she says. "We have fluoridated water in our community, but we have a well at our house, so we don't get city water. A few years ago, our then-dentist told us we needed to give the kids fluoride supplements because the well water didn't have enough fluoride in it."

Roberts complied, but then she discovered the water they were buying at the store for their children already had fluoride in it. She says after that, she learned more about fluoride and became concerned about some of the information she read.

"I stopped giving the kids the fluoridated water from the store," Roberts says. And while she understands it's a complex issue, she says that her kids now get fluoridated water from the fountains at their school, and she doesn't worry about it.

Roberts' experience with fluoride research is similar to that of many parents who seek out information on this topic. While medical groups, such as the American Dental Association, support public water fluoridation, other groups vehemently oppose it.

Neil Gussman, a scientist at the Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia, Pa., has researched fluoride and water fluoridation, and he says that perception is a major factor in how people view water fluoridation. "In general terms, the history of medical technology shows that people are slow to accept medical innovation, and suspicions of some technologies linger long after the treatment has been shown to be very effective," he says.

Want to see more?

• Nature's Cavity Fighter: Feeling Good About Fluoride
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