Fluoride is neither a nutrient nor essential for healthy teeth.

Good dental health begins in the womb and is influenced by the mothers diet and wellbeing. Lack of essential nutrients makes teeth more decay susceptible. Calcium, protein, phosphorus, vitamins A, C and D help construct babies’ first teeth and an adequate supply is essential for proper development.

Interestingly, protein-calorie malnutrition, iodine deficiency and excessive fluoride increase susceptibility to dental caries, according to the U.S. Surgeon General.

“People who eat a standard Australian diet are deficient in calcium, magnesium, and vitamins C and D. No evidence indicates any human being is fluoride-deficient.”

In fact, in Australia children are fluoride overexposed.

In the past fluoride was credited with the substantial cavity decline. However, “No clear reasons for the caries (tooth decay) decline have been identified,” according to the 1999 Dental Textbook, Dentistry, Dental Practice and the Community, by Burt and Eklund.

One explanation is that fluoridation and the explosion of fluoridated dental products coincided with many health-preserving trends. For instance, milk was vitamin D fortified to prevent bone and teeth damaging rickets; cereals and breads were vitamin and mineral enriched; dental care and insurance was encouraged and affordable; and people became more nutritionally aware. No valid science proves fluoridation was the cavity-killing culprit.

According to studies children without tooth decay had significantly higher fruit, grain, sodium, and total Healthy Eating Index’s than children with tooth decay.

In fact, kids who don’t eat the recommended five servings of vegetables and fruits — every day — up their risk of cavities more than threefold.

Children in poverty have the worst oral health and are also the least healthy, most food insecure, least likely to ingest recommended levels of vital nutrients, least likely to have dental insurance or care, and most likely to have unfilled cavities.

Is fluoridation going to help these children?  Common sense and science says, no.  But the Australian, American and British Dental Associations and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) say yes, using claims and endorsements not backed with valid science.

“This is what dentistry needs to re-learn. Children with the best diets have the best teeth without fluoride. Children with the worst diets have the worst teeth even with fluoride.”

There’s a constant movement of minerals in and out of teeth. Topical Fluoride is said to enhance the re-mineralisation process.  Without essential minerals available, even topical fluoride is useless. Many low-income children are deficient in required tooth building and repairing nutrients, such as calcium, that also moderate fluoride’s toxic effects.

Fruits and vegetables offer a substantial amount of essential nutrients. Only 23% of people on Western diets comply with recommendations to eat 5 – 9 servings of vegetables and fruits, daily.

Maybe fresh produce should be government subsidised to repair nutritionally starved kids instead of wasting multi-millions of dollars on fluoride and fluoridation programs each year at the local, state and federal levels. Unlike fluoridation, fruits and vegetables deliver essential nutrients that teeth and bodies require.

Well-meaning but misguided dentists thought fluoride was their magic bullet to prevent tooth decay at a time when nutrients were discovered to prevent diseases, such as vitamin C preventing scurvy. The bad news is that there’s no magic bullet to cure or prevent tooth decay. The good news is that tooth decay is highly and easily preventable when given a nutritious diet combined with regular dental care.

Print PDF