Is Fluoridated Water Healthy or Harmful For Us?

Fluoride seems to be a hot topic in our area lately (as we can see by a recent LCN post: https://lakelandconnect.net/2017/08/09/cold-lake-city-council-meeting-highlights-august-8-2017/), so I thought I would address it in my blog. Before I begin, let me say that I am not presenting my opinion on the matter; I am merely stating the evidence I found regarding the topic.

With any topic area these days, you can pretty much find a study supporting your views. This doesn’t mean that the study is evidence-based or credible; especially depending on who did the study, or reported it. Many recommendations are not based on the best available science or may only tell you part of the story.

For this blog, I did my research and chose to use information found on these trusted websites: Canadian Dental Association, EatRight Ontario and Health Canada.

For those that do not know, fluoride is a mineral that exists naturally in all water sources, and in trace quantities in food and soil. Fluoride helps to make our tooth enamel (the tooth’s outer layer) stronger. Low concentrations of fluoride in drinking water helps prevent dental cavities and improves oral health. Fluoride is also available in toothpastes and rinses, and your dentist can provide professional fluoride products such as gels and varnish.

The use of fluoride for the prevention of dental cavities is endorsed by over 90 national and international professional health organizations including the Canadian Dental Association, Canadian Medical Association, Canadian Public Health Association, Health Canada, US Food and Drug Administration and World Health Organization.

Adding fluoride to our drinking water has been shown to be the most effective and inexpensive way to offer fluoride protection to the largest number of people. Low income families are almost twice as likely to suffer from poor oral health compared to high income families. Research has shown that in places where fluoride is added to the water, there is a noticeable decrease in the rates of tooth decay and cavities, especially in children.

Water fluoridation can reduce tooth decay in a community by providing frequent and consistent contact with low levels of fluoride. The recommended optimal level of fluoride in drinking water takes into consideration all sources of exposure to fluoride, including foods, beverages and dental products. It is well below the maximum acceptable concentration established by the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Drinking Water.

Health Canada has established the guideline for fluoride in drinking water as a maximum acceptable concentration of 1.5 milligrams per liter. Water containing fluoride at, or below, this maximum acceptable concentration does not pose a risk to human health.

Decades of research and studies have found that, in Canada, higher levels of fluoride may lead to dental fluorosis. This condition is caused by exposure to too much fluoride during tooth development (i.e. under 6 years of age). The most common form of fluorosis is very mild and can change the appearance of tooth enamel, commonly resulting in small white spots on teeth.

Very high levels of fluoride, consumed for a very long period of time, may lead to skeletal fluorosis. Skeletal fluorosis is a progressive, but non life-threatening, disease in which bones increase in density and become more brittle. In mild cases, the symptoms may include pain and stiff joints. In more severe cases, the symptoms may include difficulty in moving, deformed bones and a greater risk of bone fractures. This disease is very rare in Canada as we are not exposed to the levels of fluoride where we would be at risk.

Many studies have shown that fluoridated drinking water remains a safe and effective public health measure of achieving community-wide exposure to the cavity-preventive effects of fluoride. With the exception of dental fluorosis, scientific studies have not found any credible link between water fluoridation and adverse health effects.

If you have any nutrition topics you would like me to write about or have a question you would like answered, email me at thedishonlcn@gmail.com. I would really like to hear from you!