Argumentative Essay On Fluoridated Drinking Water

If left untreated, pulp infection can lead to abscess, destruction of bone, and systemic infection (Cawson et al. 1982; USDHHS 2000). Various sources have concluded that water fluoridation has been an effective method for preventing dental decay (Newbrun 1989; Ripa 1993; Horowitz 1996; CDC 2001; Truman et al. 2002). Water fluoridation is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as one of the 10 great public health achievements in the United States, because of its role in reducing tooth decay in children and tooth loss in adults (CDC 1999). Each U.S. Surgeon General has endorsed water fluoridation over the decades it has been practiced, emphasizing that “[a] significant advantage of water fluoridation is that all residents of a community can enjoy its protective benefit…. A person’s income level or ability to receive dental care is not a barrier to receiving fluoridation’s health benefits” (Carmona 2004). As noted earlier, this report does not evaluate nor make judgments about the benefits, safety, or efficacy of artificial water fluoridation. That practice is reviewed only in terms of being a source of exposure to

Fluoride in drinking water has been a hot topic in the past decade. Some communities are all for it and some are completely against it. With such a range of opinions on the matter some organizations have took it upon themselves to present the pros and cons of the fluoride to the public so they can make informed decisions. Often times these surveys are bias to one side or the other, so I shall be giving information on both sides of the issue, the future outlook, and my personal opinion in order to help inform you to decide on your own.

Fluoridation of group drinking water is a main consideration in charge of the decrease in dental caries (tooth rot) . The historical backdrop of water fluoridation is a great case of clinical perception prompting epidemiologic examination and group based general wellbeing intercession. Albeit other fluoride-containing items are accessible, water fluoridation remains the most fair and practical strategy for conveying fluoride to all individuals from most groups, paying little respect to age, instructive achievement, or wage level.

In United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Healthy People 2020 (2011), the report talks about how many improvements have occurred in oral health but there is still a lot more improvement needed. The report further explains how water fluoridation has been one of the most efficient ways to reduce decay across the nation. Mostly everyone has access to water and if the water is fluoridated, then those with little or no access to dental care are getting preventative dental care in the form of a fluoride regimen in their daily water intake. (HHS, Healthy People 2020, 2011) Given this, it would only make sense that the government would employ a dental professional to assess the water fluoridation in every state.

Higgs explains in her essay that the use of fluoride has been used in water for some time now and that it is used to help prevent tooth decay as stated in her citations. She further explains that when brushing ones teeth and swallows an “x” amount of toothpaste that that one should called poison control, so why would one be able to drink it? About sixty percent of homes contain fluoride-added water and an average person is suppose to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day, while the amount of fluoride in each glass contains more than twice the amount (to be consumed) of fluoride allowed in toothpaste (Higgs par.2), and if one had too much

Few object to the therapeutic use of fluoride to stop tooth decay, but fluoridation, the addition of fluoride to the public water supply, can spark avid controversy. Most dentists, medical groups, and government officials argue that fluoridation is a cheap and risk-free venture that doubles cavity prevention. In contrast, a small minority of dentists and conservative political groups argue that fluoride is a hazardous, poisonous substance that should not be consumed. Some antifluoridationists even claim that fluoridation is an untrustworthy form of socialized medicine. But rather than just attacking fluoridation as socialized medicine, opponents originally claimed that it was a conspiracy to poison or brainwash Americans through

According to World Health Organization data obtained from a study on 12 year old’s levels of tooth decay, fluoride has had very little effect, if any at all, on tooth decay. Countries such as Japan, Italy, and Iceland, who are non-fluoridated countries, actually have about the same level of tooth decay decrease as countries that have fluoridated water. Fluoride is considered a drug, according to the FDA, which means that it is a medical treatment. Medical treatments are not to be given unless the patient agrees to the treatment, therefore, placing fluoride into the public water supply violates informed consent seeing as how citizens are not given the opportunity to vote on the matter. Even if people could vote on the situation, not all people are going to agree with and since it is considered a drug, it

Fluoridation of drinking water addresses the health issue of tooth decay and the related dental problems associated with it.1 Fluoride is associated with this health issue since fluoride has been recognized as an important nutrient for healthy teeth.1

In those case the person have to control the levels of fluorides because in most cases the levels are greater than FDA/CDC recommend but most people don't treat their water to lower the amount of fluoridation. In the case cities water systems fluoridation is monitored and adjusted to meet certain standards, low enough not to cause harm yet high enough to aid in preventing tooth decay. Tooth decay is a big health problem if not controlled. Which one the the water supply systems did you read about that was causing the health

The current data suggests that water fluoridation disproportionately harms low-income and minority communities. In 2005, the Centers for Disease Control released the results of a national survey of dental fluorosis, which was conducted between 1999 and 2002. According to the results, in the U.S., African American children have significantly higher rates of dental fluorosis.2 Same observation has been made in other studies as well. Another study conduced in Indianapolis, Indiana, shows that “the prevalence of dental fluorosis in African American children (80.1%) was significantly higher than in Whites (62.5%). 3

Research has been showed that such an improvement is due to many factors that combined together. One of these factors is systemic water fluoridation, which has been announced to have a substantial impact on children dental health, alongside with topical fluoride that can be found in mouthwash, toothpaste, and fluoride supplements. In addition to better nutrition, rising standards of living, and better access to dental care 76.

Health experts generally recommend consuming eight to ten cups of water a day. The amount may vary based on body size, physical activity, and exposure to hot weather. More consumers are tending to drink bottled water for the convenience and supposed purity. Some even substitute these expensive bottles of water instead of fluoridated tap water. A recent study shows that Americans consumed more than five billion gallons of bottled water in 2000, more than double the amount from the previous decade. However, if this bottled water is your main source of drinking water, you could be missing the decay and caries preventing benefits of fluoride. As discussed earlier, many manufacturers completely remove or reduce the amount of fluoride in their bottles of water. Water fluoridation is a community health measure that is widely researched, documented, and accepted for its role in preventing tooth decay. In areas where natural fluoride occurs in tap water below optimal levels, many communities add it to the tap water to make certain that residents receive the benefits of

Removing fluoride from consumer products’ benefits human health, prevent low IQ’s, and rids the notion that it helps cavities. Fluoride combines the element fluorine with another substance, generally a metal (“Water”1). Once in the body, fluoride absorbs into the blood through the digestive tract. They collectively accumulate where areas high in calcium take place, such as bones and teeth (“Water”1). Over the years, since inception, many people have questioned why fluoride continues to remain integrated into the water and consumer products in general. Many toothpaste brands have fluoride in it, and dentist claims it aids in preventing cavities, although there is research that will explain that

This one seems like a no brainer, but many Americans don't drink nearly enough water. Besides helping to wash away acid and residue from your teeth, most US cities add fluoride to the tap water for extra help fighting decay.

Transition: At the time, fluoridating the drinking water may have seemed like a new and revolutionary program that would protect America 's teeth, but many doctors and scientists have become skeptical of fluoride’s true effectiveness and overall safety.