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Home › Articles › Dental Health › Fluoride in Our Water?

Fluoride in Our Water?

An Issue You Can Sink Your Teeth Into

By Alyson English

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Dr. Thiessen says many benefits of fluoride are topical, and that she thinks the money spent on public water fluoridation could be better used in other ways. "The money currently spent on promoting and implementing water fluoridation would probably produce a much bigger impact on improved dental health if it were to be used in some other way, such as improving access to dental care for those most in need of it," she says.

Benefits of Fluoride Treatment
While those who oppose public water fluoridation cite studies showing adverse affects of the treatment, the American Dental Association and other proponents of the practice cite studies showing the safety and benefit of the practice.

Dr. Howard Pollick is the spokesperson for the ADA on fluoride issues. Pollick says that despite what some research reports to show, fluoride has been shown by repeated studies to be safe.

"People are naturally concerned about any changes in their environment," Dr. Pollick says. "But the safety has been reviewed, the science has been reviewed and repeated studies have shown conclusively that this is safe."

Dr. Pollick says that some of the studies cited by those opposed to fluoridation don't accurately represent the facts. "You really need to think about the credibility of the sources you're looking at for facts," he says. "The Centers for Disease Control, the National Research Council, the American Dental Association – I would say those are credible sources."

Dr. Pollick also points out that most any substance can be harmful when ingested in large enough doses, citing the recent case in California where a woman was poisoned by drinking excessive amounts of water. He says that when it's judiciously administrated, fluoride is effective in preventing tooth decay and cavities.


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