Years ago during my training, I met a woman in a mental hospital who was obviously, profoundly, mad. She saw conspiracies everywhere and eyed everyone with knowing suspicion. Occasionally she took me into her confidence – warning me of various nefarious plots afoot. On one occasion she even told me that her husband had attempted to kill her. I saw no point in arguing.
Some weeks later her grown daughter came to visit the hospital, and to my amazement, she confirmed my patient’s story. The husband had indeed tried to murder her. I tell this tale to make a point: once we have decided somebody is mad, we tend to discount everything they say.
Which gets us to the fluoride-in-the-water debate. In one of the ravings from the anti-fluoride side, the statement was made that European countries prohibit water fluoridation. Propaganda like this – like my mad woman’s claim of attempted murder – is simple enough to check, although it turned out a bit more difficult than I had expected.
I contacted several European embassies asking for their policies. The French, Germans and Swedes, I discovered, do not permit water fluoridation. The French referred me to a web page where I found that most of Western Europe does not permit it either. I was astounded.
For the record, I have long been an advocate of fluoride. Working in the ER, I’ve been struck by the tragic difference in local kids. Too many of those from unfluoridated McKinleyville have dreadful teeth, unlike their more fortunate brethren from Arcata.
I’ve told more than one McKinleyville parent they should push to get fluoride in the water. Now I’m not so sure.
The arguments cited by European governments against fluoride are typically these:
Fluoridation represents forced medication, and governments should not do this to their citizens. The German government said this most directly. No doubt the Hitler experience still resounds in German consciousness.
Most of the fluoride in drinking water misses the intended target, since only a tiny portion of water is actually drunk.
Most water is used for bathing, or washing clothes, cars and other objects without teeth.
I am still very much in favor of providing fluoride to our young people. It is hard to overestimate the social damage from premature tooth decay. Nothing screams “neglect” quite so loudly as a mouth filled with rotting teeth.
On the other hand, must water be the vehicle? What if we fluoridated the salt as is done in some European countries? We already put iodine in salt, and those who object to it can purchase iodine-free salt.
Or, what if at hospital discharge, we gave the parent of every newborn an open prescription for free fluoride drops? The operative word is “free.”
There are probably other viable alternatives as well, and if one could be found I’d be very much in favor of it. Until then, however, I still support fluoridated water, despite the fact that at my age, I have nothing to gain from it.
Print 
PDF