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I’m responding to the recent article, “What would happen if fluoride were removed from the water supply?” Short answer: Poor children will get many more cavities.
I think lots of information is missing or wrong in this widely distributed article. First off, the unit of measure is not “0.7 mL/gallon” but milligram per liter, abbreviated mg/L, same as other minerals like calcium.
Secondly, naturally occurring fluoride in drinking water varies widely across the U.S., from undetectable to about 6 mg/L. Dentists working in different communities noticed a difference in how prone patients were to cavities (dental caries) depending on where they lived. It took some sleuthing to connect it to fluoride. Testing in the 1930s and 1940s observed this effect from this naturally occurring mineral: Low fluoride, no effect; moderate fluoride, hardens tooth enamel, no detrimental effect; high fluoride, brittle, discolored tooth enamel, other detrimental effects.
Early studies found that communities with levels under 1 mg/L had the benefits without the detrimental effects. Regions with very high levels needed to remove or dilute it to prevent fluoridosis.
Addition of fluoride was found to greatly benefit children, especially those too poor to afford regular dental exams. Over these children’s lifetimes, each filling would need to be removed and replaced, leading to loss of the tooth in adulthood.
Treatment of public drinking water with chlorine has a similar purpose. A tiny amount can kill microorganisms that would otherwise make people sick. Removing it from our public drinking water would mean a lot more sickness.
Stephen Chace
Retired chemist
Surry
