Note from Fluoride Action Network:
This simplistic fact sheet is worrying inasmuch as it presents misinformation by stating that fluoridation:
1. Protects All Ages. It doesn’t protect the fetus. It allows pregnant women to think fluoridated water is safe to drink. No federal agency in the U.S. has performed a health risk assessment on fluoridation’s effects on the pregnant woman, the fetus, or infant up to six months of age. The Mother-Offspring fluoride studies have reported that the fetus and the formula-fed infant (Till 2020) are the most vulnerable to fluoride’s neurotoxicity.
2. Is Safe. It is not safe for the fetus and infant.
3. Is Natural because it naturally occurs in groundwater. Arsenic also naturally occurs in groundwater. Millions of dollars are spent nation-wide to remove high levels of arsenic (over 10 parts per billion) from drinking water. Some environmental groups consider that 10 ppb is still too high. (EC)
From the Mississippi Department of Health
Community water fluoridation is the controlled addition of a fluoride compound to a public water supply for the control of tooth decay (dental caries).
Fluoride has been proven to protect teeth from decay. It helps rebuild and strengthen the tooth surface (enamel) by replenishing minerals. It strengthens teeth that are still developing in young children, and helps prevent adult tooth decay as gums recede with age.
The MSDH Bureau of Public Water Supply regulates the fluoridation of community water systems that choose to provide it in order to provide early, long-lasting tooth decay prevention.
Benefits of Community Water Fluoridation
Prevents tooth decay
Fluoride in drinking water is an efficient way to prevent one of the most common childhood diseases — tooth decay. An estimated 51 million school hours and 164 million work hours are lost each year due to dental-related illness.
Protects all ages
Studies show that fluoride in community water systems prevents at least 25 percent of tooth decay in children and adults. Schoolchildren living in fluoridated communities have on average 2.25 fewer decayed teeth when compared to similar children not living in fluoridated communities.
Safe and effective
For over 80 years the best available scientific evidence has indicated that community water fluoridation is safe and effective. It has been endorsed by numerous U.S. Surgeons General. More than 100 health organizations recognize the health benefits of water fluoridation for preventing dental decay.
Cost Savings
The average lifetime cost per person to fluoridate a water supply is less than the cost of one dental filling. In most cities, for every $1 invested in water fluoridation $38 is saved in dental treatment costs.
It’s Natural
Fluoride is naturally present in groundwater and the oceans. Fluoride also occurs naturally in foods like vegetables and fish. Water fluoridation is an adjustment of fluoride in tap water to a recommended level for preventing tooth decay when natural levels of fluoride are too low.
The World Health Organization supports fluoridation of water, salt and milk as a way to reduce dental decay.
More Information
- Fluoride Questions & Answers
- Find the fluoride level in your drinking water CDC
- Water fluoridation information from the CDC
*Original statement online at https://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/43,24339,151,220.html
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