A new study says that the use of fluoride in toothpaste and mouthwashes has lowered the health benefits of water fluoridation. However, the researchers say that it would be a mistake for municipalities to use these findings as a reason to pull back on adding the cavity-fighting mineral to their water systems. The study was published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
Anne-Marie Glenny, co-author of the study and a professor of health sciences research at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom said, “There’s no evidence to suggest that where water fluoridation programs are in place, that they should necessarily be stopped.”
According to a report in NBC News, hundreds of U.S. communities are opting out of water fluoridation. City leaders often cite medical freedom as a reason, saying it should be up to voters, not governments, to decide what is and what isn’t added to the municipal water supply. Groups opposed to fluoride also raise concerns that it may affect children’s IQ levels.
A federal judge in California ruled last month that even though he couldn’t conclude with certainty that fluoridated water was a danger to public health, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should strengthen water fluoridation regulations.
For the new study, the researchers analysed more than 157 studies that compared tooth decay in kids living in communities that added fluoride to their water supplies with communities that didn’t.
Studies have highlighted that more than 5,700 children conducted before fluoride-fortified toothpaste became widely available in the mid-1970s found that adding fluoride to water systems reduced the number of decayed teeth by an average of 2.1 per child. However, studies conducted after 1975, including nearly 3,000 children in the U.K. and Australia, estimated the benefit was lower, at 0.24 fewer decayed baby teeth per child. That’s a quarter of a tooth.
Glenney said, “Most of the studies on water fluoridation are over 50 years old.” She also added that “contemporary studies are showing that water fluoridation is beneficial.”
Certain health groups including the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention support the use of fluoridated water. They highlight the studies that show fluoridated water reduces tooth decay by 25%.
However, some new research has shown that water fluoridation might have negative effects on your health.
Janet Clarkson, another co-author of the study and a professor of clinical effectiveness at the University of Dundee in Scotland, said the research may serve to “open up a dialogue” to further understand the impact of public water fluoridation.