{"id":7164,"date":"2020-02-04T13:40:45","date_gmt":"2020-02-04T08:40:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cawater-info.net\/all_about_water\/en\/?p=7164"},"modified":"2020-02-11T13:41:05","modified_gmt":"2020-02-11T08:41:05","slug":"these-4-myths-about-water-fluoridation-are-totally-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.cawater-info.net\/all_about_water\/en\/?p=7164","title":{"rendered":"These 4 Myths About Water Fluoridation Are Totally Wrong"},"content":{"rendered":"

Evidence gathered over 60 years about adding fluoride to drinking water has failed to convince some people this major public health initiative is not only safe but helps to prevent tooth decay.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Myths about fluoridated water persist. These include fluoride isn\u2019t natural, adding it to our water supplies doesn\u2019t prevent tooth decay and it causes conditions ranging from cancer to Down syndrome.<\/p>\n

Now the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is in the process of\u00a0updating its evidence\u00a0on the impact of fluoridated water on human health since it last issued a statement on the topic in 2007.<\/p>\n

Its\u00a0draft findings and recommendations\u00a0are clear cut:<\/p>\n

NHMRC strongly recommends community water fluoridation as a safe, effective and ethical way to help reduce tooth decay across the population.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It came to its conclusion after\u00a0analysing the evidence\u00a0and issuing a\u00a0technical report\u00a0for those wanting more detail.<\/p>\n

Here are four common myths the evidence says are wrong.<\/p>\n

1. Fluoride isn\u2019t natural<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fluoride\u00a0is a naturally occurring substance found in\u00a0rocks that leaches into groundwater; it\u2019s also found in surface water. The natural level of fluoride in the water varies depending on the type of water (groundwater or surface) and the type of rocks and minerals it\u2019s in contact with.<\/p>\n

Fluoride is found in all natural water supplies at some concentration. Ocean water contains fluoride at around\u00a01 part per million, about the same as levels of\u00a0fluoridated drinking water\u00a0in Australia.<\/p>\n

There are many places in Australia where fluoride occurs naturally in the water supply at optimum levels to maintain good dental health. For example, both\u00a0Portland and Port Fairy\u00a0in Victoria have naturally occurring fluoride in their water at 0.7-1.0 parts per million.<\/p>\n

The type of fluoride commonly found in many rocks and the source of the naturally occurring fluoride ion in water supplies is calcium fluoride.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0three main fluoride compounds\u00a0generally used to fluoridate water are:\u00a0sodium fluoride,\u00a0hydrofluorosilicic acid\u00a0(hexafluorosilicic acid) and sodium silicofluoride. All these fully mix (dissociate) in water, resulting in the availability of fluoride ions to prevent tooth decay.<\/p>\n

So regardless of the original compound source, the end result is the same \u2013 fluoride ions in the water.<\/p>\n

2. Fluoridated water doesn\u2019t work<\/strong><\/p>\n

Evidence for water fluoridation dates back to\u00a0US studies in the 1940s, where dental researchers noticed lower levels of tooth decay in areas with naturally occurring fluoride in the water supply.<\/p>\n

This prompted a\u00a0study involving the artificial fluoridation\u00a0of water supplies to a large community, and comparing the tooth decay rates to a neighbouring community with no fluoride.<\/p>\n

The trial had to be discontinued after six years because the benefits to the children in the fluoridated community were so obvious it was deemed unethical to not provide the benefits to all the children, and so the control community water supply was also fluoridated.<\/p>\n

Since then, consistently we see lower levels of tooth decay associated with water fluoridation, and the most recent\u00a0evidence, from Australia and overseas, supports this.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0NHMRC review\u00a0found children and teenagers who had lived in areas with water fluoridation had 26-44% fewer teeth or surfaces affected by decay, and adults had 27% less tooth decay.<\/p>\n

A number of factors are likely to influence the variation across populations and countries, including diet, access to dental care, and the amount of tap water people drink.<\/p>\n

3. Fluoridated water causes cancer and other health problems<\/strong><\/p>\n

The NHMRC found, there was reliable evidence to suggest water fluoridation at current levels in Australia of 0.6-1.1 parts per million is not associated with: cancer, Down syndrome, cognitive problems, lowered intelligence, hip fracture, chronic kidney disease, kidney stones, hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure, low birth weight, premature death from any cause, musculoskeletal pain, osteoporosis, skeletal fluorosis (extra bone fluoride), thyroid problems or other self-reported complaints.<\/p>\n

This confirms\u00a0previous statements\u00a0from the NHMRC on the safety of water fluoridation, and statements from international bodies such as the\u00a0World Health Organisation, the\u00a0World Dental Federation, the\u00a0Australian Dental Association\u00a0and the US\u00a0Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/p>\n

Most\u00a0studies\u00a0that claim to show adverse health effects report on areas where there are high levels of fluoride occurring naturally in the water supply. This is often more than 2-10 parts per million or more, up to 10 times levels found in Australian water.<\/p>\n

These studies are also often not of the highest quality, for example with\u00a0small sample sizes\u00a0and not taking into account\u00a0other factors\u00a0that may affect adverse health outcomes.<\/p>\n

There is, however, evidence that fluoridated water is linked to both the amount and severity of\u00a0dental fluorosis. This is caused by being exposed to excess fluoride (from any source) while the teeth are forming, affecting how the tooth enamel mineralises.<\/p>\n

Most\u00a0dental fluorosis in Australia\u00a0is very mild or mild, and does not affect the either the function or appearance of the teeth. When you can see it, there are fine white flecks or lines on the teeth. Moderate dental fluorosis is very uncommon, and tends to include brown patches on the tooth surface. Severe dental fluorosis is rare in Australia.<\/p>\n

4. Fluoridated water is not safe for infant formula<\/strong><\/p>\n

However, all infant formula sold in Australia has very low levels of fluoride, below the threshold amount of 17 micrograms of fluoride\/100 kilojules (before reconstitution), which would require a warning label.<\/p>\n

Therefore, making up infant formula with fluoridated tap water at levels found in Australian (0.6-1.1 parts per million) is safe, and does not pose a risk for dental fluorosis. Indeed,\u00a0Australian research\u00a0shows there is no association between infant formula use and dental fluorosis.<\/p>\n

A consistent message<\/strong><\/p>\n

Adding fluoride to tap water to prevent tooth decay is one of our greatest public health achievements, with evidence gathered over more than 60 years showing it works and is safe. This latest review, tailored to Australia, adds to that evidence.<\/p>\n

Source: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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