Overview
The addition of fluoride to water for the purpose of preventing tooth decay began in the 1940s on the mistaken premise that fluoride needs to be swallowed to be effective. As researchers have since shown, the fluoride’s benefit comes primarily from topical application, not ingestion. There is no need, therefore, to ever swallow fluoride. While fluoridation advocates now claim that fluoridated water provides an effective topical application to teeth, current data shows no meaningful difference in tooth decay between areas with, and without, fluoridated water.
in this section:
- Topical vs. Systemic Effects: Learn why dental researchers now overwhelmingly agree that fluoride’s primary benefit to teeth comes from topical contact, not ingestion.
- Tooth Decay in F vs. NF Countries: See World Health Organization data showing tooth decay rates have declined at the same steep rate in non-fluoridated countries, as they have in fluoridated countries.
- Modern Fluoridation Studies: Learn 7 quick facts about modern fluoridation studies, including the results of the largest dental health survey ever conducted in the U.S., and the ongoing NIH-funded multimillion dollar study on the relationship between total fluoride intake and tooth decay.
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New study challenges old belief on dental fluorosis/tooth decay
A new study (1), published in the October issue of Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, has cast yet further doubt on one of the long-standing beliefs in fluoride research. The study, which examined tooth decay and dental fluorosis rates in two areas of Ethiopia, found that as the severity of dental fluorosis increased, so too did the rate of tooth decay.
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Patterns of fluoridation promotion
On the web page of the Fluoride Action Network you will find an interesting article from York County, Maine, titled "Kennebunk dentist leads fight for fluoridation." Now, I do not know Lisa Howard, and I am not suggesting that she is lying, however, it is very interesting how her comments and
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New Studies Cast Doubt on Fluoridation Benefits
An analysis of national survey data collected by the National Institute of Dental Research (NIDR) concludes that children who live in areas of the U.S. where the water supplies are fluoridated have tooth decay rates nearly identical with those who live in nonfluoridated areas.
Related Articles:
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Tooth Decay Rates in Fluoridated vs. Non-Fluoridated Communities
Tooth decay rates throughout the western world have declined at a steep rate over the past 50 years, irrespective of whether a country fluoridates its water or not. This fact has invited scrutiny into the necessity and effectiveness of water fluoridation, particularly in light of the discoveries that (1) fluoride's primary benefit to
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The Mystery of Declining Tooth Decay
Large temporal reductions in tooth decay, which cannot be attributed to fluoridation, have been observed in both unfluoridated and fluoridated areas of at least eight developed countries over the past thirty years. It is now time for a scientific re-examination of the alleged enormous benefits of fluoridation.
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Water Fluoridation, Tooth Decay, & Poverty
Most of the oral health crises occurring in the United States right now are taking place in low-income urban areas that have been fluoridated for decades. It is unclear, therefore, how fluoridation can be expected to prevent oral health crises in newly fluoridated areas when it has failed to prevent such crises in areas that have been fluoridated for 30 to 60 years.
Related Studies:
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WHO: Tooth Decay Rates in Fluoridated vs. Non-Fluoridated Countries
The following data from the World Health Organization provides the most recently reported tooth decay rates in 12-old-year children in developed nations. As can be seen, many countries with no water fluoridation at all have lower rates of tooth decay than countries that fluoridate more than 60% of their water. In
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Another look at Brunelle & Carlos
Recently we received a letter commenting on our analysis of the Brunelle & Carlos (1990) paper. Before we print the letter and Michael's response, a little background. The Brunelle & Carlos paper was published in the Journal of Dental Research, Volume 69, pages 723-727, in 1990. The paper was the
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Water Fluoridation Status in Western Europe
As the following table shows, only 3% of the population in western Europe is currently consuming fluoridated water. Europe's reasons for not fluoridating its water are explained here. Despite not fluoridating its water, tooth decay rates in these western European countries are no higher than in the few western countries (e.g.,
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