9 out of 10 dentists recommend fluoride in water
Fluoride- what is it?
Fluoride is a naturally occurring element found in water, soil, rocks and the ocean. It is commonly used in dental practices for strengthening enamel and you might have even seen it in your toothpaste or mouthwash. One you’re probably less aware of is the fluoride in our water supply.
What is water fluoridation?
Water fluoridation is the process of adding fluoride to a water source in order to supplement current intake levels in the community and protect dental health outcomes. Fluoride in the Australian water supply is at or around a level of 0.5-1.5mg/Litre or what’s known as 1 part per million. This is tightly regulated and wouldn’t be a part of our drinking water since the 1970s if it wasn’t heavily researched and proven beneficial.
Fluoride fun facts
-Approximately 90% of Australians have access to fluorinated drinking water.
-Australian’s born after 1970 have halved their levels of tooth decay compared with their parents generation due to water fluoridisation programs.
-Water fluoridation reduces tooth decay by 26% to 44% in children and adolescents
-It is one of the most successful public health campaigns in this century.
-For every $1 spent on water fluoridation, there is an estimated direct cost savings of $7 for disease prevention and avoided treatment
-87% of the population support fluoride in our public water supply to prevent tooth decay.
What does the research say about fluoride in our water?
Extensive research into water fluoridisation has happened over the past 30 odd years. With the thousands of research papers, there is no proven link between reasonable levels of fluoride intake and any sort of bone fractures, kidney disease, bone cancer or behavioural development and memory. The last study was carried out across 8 years assessing 2,682 children aged 5-10 years old. The findings (published in 2022) back up the current scientific consensus that fluoridated water is a safe and effective way for well-rounded community health and disease prevention.
Then why are some people wary of fluoride?
Fluoride in water has clear and proven benefits. Where the questions arise is from a scary (not so scary) term called fluorosis. Dental fluorosis at mild levels goes unnoticed. When it is higher, people may see the slight discolouration or ‘whitish marks’ on teeth and is seen as an ‘aesthetic concern’. The prevalence of this aesthetic concern in Australia is approximately 3%. When compared to a 44% reduction in tooth decay with fluoride the risk/reward is very heavily skewed toward beneficial.
Skeletal fluorosis is a similar concept but in our bones. At safe levels there is very, very low chances of any health effects and here’s an example. Some countries around the world (parts of the middle east, China and Africa) have naturally occurring fluoride levels much higher than what is regulated in Australia. Skeletal fluorosis has been seen in these areas but can also be attributed to other nutritional deficiencies. The daily exposure to be witnessing these conditions are above 37mg/day. A reminder that our regulated water intake is 0.5-1.5mg.
What happens when you take fluoride out of drinking water?
One of the best examples of this was when in 2007, Juneau (the capital city of Alaska), took fluoride out of it’s water supply. A study was undertaken to assess dental care requests in approximately 2,000 people in the years 2003 (when fluoride was in the water supply) and 2012 (5 years after it was stopped in the city). The research found that the odds of a child or adolescent undergoing dental caries procedures was 25.2% higher in 2015 suggesting fluoride in water supply significantly effects dental and overall health.
Bottomline- Fluoride has been in our drinking water since the 1970s and trends of tooth decay and diseases associated have significantly dropped. It’s one of the top 10 public health measures we’ve taken in the past century and will continue to be a useful tool to help community health outcomes.