Introduction:
Community water fluoridation can be defined as the addition of a controlled amount of fluoride to the drinking water supplies in order to prevent dental caries in the community. Fluoride effect on human teeth was noticed at beginning of the 20th century by American dental surgeon Frederick McKay. He noticed the brown stains and discolourations of teeth of many people who live in Colorado springs, USA. the discolored mottled enamel was called (Colorado brown stain). Later called (Enamel Fluorosis) for the causative factor. In the 1930s, Dr. Trendley Dean, a scientist at the National Institute of Health, conducted series of epidemiological investigations about the link between fluoride concentration in water supplies and caries
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if the it exceeds this level, fluorosis will occur (Pizzo, Piscopo, Pizzo, 2007). Further studies confirmed that if the level of fluoride in the drinking water is between 0.9 and 1.2, teeth will have a mild dental fluorosis (Dean, 1942).(Fawell, Bailey, 2006). Later, 0.7-1.2 PPM was a recommended concentration depending on the climatic temperature, dietary practices and water consumption in the area (fawell, 2003; Palmer, Wolfe, 2005). In January 1945, many studies about the advantages of fluoridated water to level 1 PPM was began in the USA and Canada. The medical use of fluoride started in Grand Rapid, United state for dental caries prevention. It became the first city in the world which has fluoridated water adjusted to level 1 PPM in the public drinking water (Dean, Francis et al,.1950; Pizzo, Piscopo, Giuliana, 2007). By the mid-1980s. however, the water fluoridation efficiency has declined. It is argued that the fluoride is not safe unless it is used carefully within the recommended ranges. The main aim of this article to review the adverse and the beneficial effect of water fluoridation on human teeth to prevent …show more content…
For instance, in a single oral dose of soluble fluoride at 60 mg/kg without calcium intake causes acute heart failure and about 25 PPM fluoridated water can lead to chronic heart failure. (Sauerheber, 2013). Systemic fluoride may cause atherosclerotic plaque in coronary vessels of patients with a cardiovascular disease. In addition of that , it can be accumulated in aorta and the calcification will occur in that artery because the concentration is increasing with age. Many kidney dialysis patients died from a high fluoride level in the fluoridated drinking water because dialysis units can not extract fluoride from blood. (Ahmad, 2005, Cited in Sauerheber, 2013). Moreover, industrial fluoride in water supplies can cause gastrointestinal distress and pain because of HF formed from fluoride. HF prevents tissue healing and cause a structural damage to mucosa at 20 PPM in 15 minutes. (Petraborg, 1977, Cited in Sauerheber, 2013). The only proven harm effect resulted from the usage of fluoride in dentistry is Dental Fluorosis which can be defined as a dose-response effect as a result of excessive use or ingestion of fluoride during the pre-eruptive stage of teeth development. (Browne, 2012). Dental fluorosis ranges from normal in which the fluoridated enamel is still smooth, glossy, fully functional and has white translucent surface to the severe dental fluorosis stage when all the
In one incident, a minister was fleeced for all of his cash while his ship was docked at Natchez, MS, a popular gambling destination. Obviously, a man of the cloth was compelling victim for the ship’s captain, John Russell. Russell, along with his crew, confronted the grifters, but they initially refused to return the money. However, the card cheats decided to return the money to the minister after Russell threatened to tear down the gambling hall by dragging it into the river attached to his boat.
Fluoride has been used by people for many decades. The most common use is in toothpaste. Fluoride was added to toothpaste to lower the amount of dental cavities that one gets, and works by protecting the enamel (outer hard layer over the tooth). Another use of fluoride is in drinking water. It was added to drinking water to also help with tooth decay. Many people are debating whether or not this is truly safe. In the essay, “The Fluoride Conspiracy”, by Laurie Higgs, she talks about the use of fluoride drinking waters and dangers it brings by using logos, pathos, and ethos.
While safety has been an issue frequently raised by those opposed to fluoridation, scientific data from peer-reviewed clinical research provide overwhelming evidence that the adjustment of fluoride levels in drinking water to the optimal level is undoubtedly safe. Hundreds of studies on fluoride metabolism have tracked the outcomes of ingested fluoride. Ingested fluoride essentially travels three metabolic pathways. It is either excreted by the kidneys, absorbed by the teeth or taken up in the skeleton. At optimal levels fluoride has never been demonstrated to cause skeletal fluorosis or other bone problems.
Studies show that dental caries does not increase following the cessation of fluoridated water (21,22)
Another issue of controversy is the safety of the chemicals used to fluoridate water. The most commonly used additives are silicofluorides, not the fluoride salts used in dental products (such as sodium fluoride and stannous fluoride). Silicofluorides are one of the by-products from the manufacture of phosphate fertilizers. The toxicity database on silicofluorides is sparse and questions have been raised about the assumption that they completely dissociate in water and, therefore, have toxicity similar to the fluoride salts tested in laboratory studies and used in consumer products (Coplan and Masters 2001). It also has been maintained that, because of individual variations in exposure to fluoride, it is difficult to ensure that the right individual dose to protect against dental caries is provided through large-scale water fluoridation. In addition, a body of information has developed that indicates the major anticaries benefit of fluoride is topical and not systemic (Zero et al. 1992; Rölla and Ekstrand 1996; Featherstone 1999; Limeback 1999a; Clarkson and McLoughlin 2000; CDC 2001; Fejerskov
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.
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
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
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 immigration reform, an important issue for the U.S. government has accelerated significantly in the past few years. It has been debated between the democratic and republican senators to reform a framework for the immigration. President Obama gave a speech to push for an immigration reform in favor of undocumented 11 million immigrants in the USA, as well as a road map for their legal citizenship. It has also been suggested that a sub citizenship could be an option instead of providing full citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommendation for the optimal fluoride level in drinking water to prevent tooth decay have changed from 0.7 -1.2 milligrams per liter stablished in 1962 to 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water. This change was the result of a systematic reviews of the scientific evidence related community water fluoridation since it was incorporated in 1945. As a result of community water fluoridation there was an increase in the percentage of children who were caries-free and a significant decreases in the number of teeth or tooth surfaces with caries in both children and adult. The main reason to lower the recommendation was because Americans nowadays have more sources of fluoride than the ones
The NRC reported in 2007 that fluoride was considered an element essential to life. Fluoride plays an important role in the body’s ability to perform metabolic and biochemical reactions that help prevent tooth decay and help bone formation. Essentially the government says that the fluoridation of water is more helpful than harmful for people as it is a good use of tax dollars as it treats upper class and lower class citizens equally in dental prevention.
God`s promise of seed innumerable. The depth of the seed blessing is revealed. Emphasis is placed on the vastness of the blessing. Genesis 15:1- After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a
i. Although defenders of fluoride continue to claim that there are no dangers in using fluoride for dental care, the facts speak for themselves. Dr. Edward Group, who in his 2015 article “The Dangers of Fluoride” stated that “Every year Poison Control centers receive thousands of calls from people
Fluorine is added in water in certain countries and used in toothpaste so that it can strengthen people’s teeth.