Fluoridated Water – Is it Good or Detrimental to Health

Since the later part of the nineties, the US Food and Drug Administration has made it compulsory that all toothpaste brands mention a caveat about fluoride use. The FDA posting a caveat on a toothpaste component has raised many eyebrows as to why the step was taken.

Researches on fluoride have revealed that the chemical is presently deemed a potentially lethal drug and an adequate amount of ingestion can be damaging.

As is already known, fluoride is the chemical prevalently found in majority of the toothpastes available in the markets. Fluoridated toothpastes are used by individuals as a way of strengthening their teeth (cavity prevention) and general public usually does not mull over it beyond that, which it alright since its marketing is done till that extent.

One need not be alarmed nor scared to brush one’s teeth using fluoridated toothpastes since it is not harmful. Neither is the usage of gel-form of fluoride therapy during dental check-ups damaging to health. These forms of topical application uses are not ingested hence not a matter of concern. Even in case one ingests some amount of toothpaste, the amounts of fluoride presence would not be posing any major health risk. Fluoride is one ingredient in toothpaste that does help in preventing cavity formation.

However, in terms of its addition to water,it might not be as good a thing. Fluoride addition to water is standard procedure across several nations since many years. But, a number of European countries have proactively banned fluoride from the portable water sources, though nations that do add fluoride to water believe it aids in cavity prevention.

Several eminent dentists are of the viewpoint that cavities could be ably prevented without the need of fluoride addition to water since they believe that its dire effects potentially outweigh the positive ones.

The detrimental effects are corroborated by a number of studies though they are not all-inclusive. As fluoride helps in preventing cavities it is a popularly used chemical. But, several research findings have equated fluoride with bone thinning, mainly in the hip region. Additionally fluorosis is a condition that could develop among children do to excess fluoride intake when their tooth are growing. When there is fluoride presence in the water, it is bound to be contributory to excess fluoride intake.

Moreover, a Chinese study has distressing outcomes which indicate that kids afflicted with fluorosis had largely lesser IQ scoring. Such study outcomes were reverberated in an U.S. based trial arriving at the analogous outcomes with animal-based models. The study finding showed that fluoride could accrue in particular regions of the brain which would then affect learning capability. Although this doesn’t comprise indisputable evidence, however it is thought-provoking.

Additionally, the NFK (National Kidney Foundation) has lately withdrawn its long-standing backing for water fluoridation. Presently, they have not drastically reverted from their stance but have gone from sanctioning it to representing zilch opinions which does raise a sink.

There are plentiful researches refuting this viewpoint. But, in case a person follows proper oral hygiene like brushing their teeth like they must be doing, visiting their dentists as needed (who would then use a topical fluoride therapy) then there is basically no requirement of water fluoridation that is basically chemical insertion into the water which majority of people just do not require for assisting a negligent few who are not ready to assist themselves.

There are several ways fluoride removal could be done namely distilling, alumina-defluoridation and reverse-osmosis that all sluice out unwanted contaminations. Fluoride source concentration occurs when water is boiled or frozen and hence such methods are to be evaded.