News Archive

Research in the mid-1900s revealed that children had fewer cavities in their teeth if they lived in communities with fluoride in the drinking water, though not too much, as fluoride may cause damage to tooth development. Due to these observations, dentists began to promote the addition of fluoride to drinking water when “optimal” amounts were […]

The United States has one of the best reputations for its clean public water supply, yet your drinking water may still be unsafe and contaminated. More than 60,000 chemicals are used in the U.S., but only 90 water contaminants are regulated under the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The SDWA doesn’t […]

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Pediatricians and other primary care doctors should apply fluoride varnish to infants’ teeth soon after they erupt, according to new cavity-fighting guidelines. The recommendations come from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), a government-backed panel. “Only one in four preschool children is seeing a dentist, but most see a […]

(HealthDay News) — Primary care doctors should start playing a more prominent role in dental care for children, according to new recommendations from the influential U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Specifically, the task force suggested Monday that primary care physicians prescribe oral fluoride supplementation, such as drops, tablets or lozenges, for children 6 months and […]

Evidence is lacking to support pediatric dental exams by primary care clinicians, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) says in new guidelines. The conclusion conflicts with guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which call for primary care physicians to examine the teeth of their youngest patients. Updating a version published in 2004, the […]

Hager Sharpers Amanda Marr and Shelly Spoeth recently taught oral health leaders from across the country about building a communications plan at the National Oral Health Conference. Marr and Spoeth have been working on the issue of community water fluoridation for the past two years with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of […]

Fluoride is a poisonous substance added to many municipal water supplies across the US, Canada, and elsewhere without the permission of the residents. Is there a model that communities can follow to remove it from their water supply? The short answer to this question is yes. Dr. Paul Connett, a chemist by training and director […]

Babies risk dental fluorosis from unlabeled fluoride in infant foods, say researchers in General Dentistry, reports the New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation (NYSCOF). Detectable fluoride levels, found in all 360 samples tested, is due to pesticides, fertilizers, soil, groundwater and/or fluoridated water used in processing, the researchers report. Foods containing mechanically de-boned chicken […]