New research indicates that children who get too much fluoride via toothpaste and fluoridated water may suffer from a condition known as fluorosis, which causes tooth discoloration.
The investigators compared rates of fluorosis among 8- and 9-year-old children who lived in communities with and without fluoridated water.
They examined permanent incisor teeth for discoloration and interviewed parents about their child's use of fluoride toothpaste.
54% of children in areas with fluoridated water had fluorosis, compared with 23% in areas where the water was not fluoridated.
Interestingly, children who came from low-income areas were found to be at lower risk, possibly because they used less fluoride-containing tooth products.
One of the authors notes, in an interview, that fluorosis is a purely cosmetic problem and can be treated with bleach.
"Use of a child's toothpaste (with lower fluoride concentration) could decrease risk in a fluoridated area," according to one of the researchers.
British Dental Journal August 26, 2000;189:216-220.
Additional fluoride, particularly when it comes from industrial waste as with water fluoridation chemicals, is not a good thing to put into your body. This study indicates the high incidence of fluoride toxicity in children who live in fluoridated water communities. Fluoride does not provide the benefits that its promoters claim, and it is fraught with complications.
Fluorosis is NOT a purely cosmetic effect. It is a systemic change, where excessive fluoride is incorporated into the structure of the teeth AND bones, that will affect the body's entire skeletal system and not just the teeth.
You can click on the links below to learn more of the devastating effects fluoride can have on our health. Aside from avoiding fluoridated water you will want to throw away any toothpaste with fluoride and refuse fluoride treatments from your dentist. You can find fluoride and mercury free dentists in your area by using the referral links at the bottom of my home page.
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