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Community Water Fluoridation

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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 …show more content…

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

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