Fluoride Research Paper

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.

AS we are all know public health deals with identifying and preventing the disease among the community . Public health refers to "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals." It is concerned with threats to health based on population health analysis. Some of the events that played a major role in the improvement of public health are immunization , flouridation of drinking water to prevent dental caries , family planning and so on .

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

Department of Health and Human Services address some of the public concerns about water fluoridation such as its effects on health and its ethical implication in the community. Some of the concerns express by the public were: safety of fluoride additives, fluoride’s impact on the brain, specifically citing lower IQ in children, effects of fluoride in the endocrine system, and cost effectiveness. In all cases, it was determine that in a concentration of 0.7 milligrams per liter, fluorided water was safe for consumption. Legal implications about community water fluoridation have been thoroughly reviewed by the U.S. court systems and the results have always being that water fluoridation is a proper means of promoting public health and welfare. Also, it is important to have in mind, that the state and local governments decide whether or not to implement water fluoridation after considering evidence regarding its benefits and

One of the biggest sources of fluoride in your child's life is tap water. The EPA has a guideline that requires municipal water in the US to contain no more than 4 mg of fluoride per liter of water, or 4 ppm. However, to find out how much is in your local water supply you can simply call the phone number on your water bill and ask.

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

I have been assigned the role of the leader of Fluoride Action Network. The Fluoride Action Network is a non-profit organization and an international coalition seeking to broaden public awareness about the toxicity of fluoride compounds and the health impacts of current fluoride exposures. The organization’s mission is to “provide comprehensive and up-to-date information regarding all aspects of fluoride” and to “remain vigilant monitoring government agency actions that may impact public’s exposure to fluoride.”1

2. In 2012 a team of Harvard scientists warned that the developing brain is another target. A large studies of china found reduced IQ scores to children expose to fluoride.

Fluoride compounds have been added to water supplies since as early as the 1950s because claims were made to support fluoride's use as a cavity preventer. However, studies conducted even decades before have shown that fluoride is an extremely hazardous substance that should be completely avoided. These views or claims about fluoride are just too contradictory, both cannot be true. Fluoride has hidden dangers that not enough people know about and should be removed from the water supplies despite false reports that it is actually beneficial, and the practice of water fluoridation should be completely eliminated.

For over 60 years, Americans have been inundated with propaganda proclaiming the benefits of artificially fluoridating the public’s drinking water to prevent tooth decay. I do not use the term “propaganda” lightly. In fact the “father” of modern propaganda, nephew of Sigmund Freud, Edward Bernays was brought in to sell spiking America’s public water supply with fluoride (Pilger). This was critical to protect the American Aluminum Company (ALCOA), the world’s largest aluminum producer, from litigation from their workers who were exposed to toxic levels of sodium fluoride. Fluoride in the public water supply is a detriment to the health of Americans and provides no positive benefits while presenting great risk. Fluoridated water is poison, it is proven to decrease IQ, and it is medicating the public with an FDA classified tranquilizer without the informed consent of the citizens.

fluoride toxicity. More recent studies associate consumption of fluoridated water to health risks like ADHD and

Choi at al., (2012) did highlight the need for further research. Broadbent et al., (2014) showed no effect of fluoride on IQ at the optimum drinking water concentrations used in CWF. However, most of the reports reviewed by Choi et al., (2012) considered data from areas of endemic fluorosis where drinking water fluoride concentrations are higher. The pilot study (Choi et al., 2014) aims to test their hypothesis that increased fluoride exposure is related to impairments in neuro-behavioural development among school children in China where endemic fluorosis is common.

The ingestion of fluoride has been associated to benefits for the teeth. According to some observers in the past, fluoride strengthens the enamel of the teeth making it not so susceptible to cavities. From this hypothesis the fluoridation of water had its start and until today it is believed to be one of the most responsible sources for reducing cavities in the population (Graham & Morin, 1999). In some author’s view the fluoridation of the water implies a significant change and the positive effects can been seen in the so-called post-fluoride generation. In this generation the number of adults without any teeth has dramatically declined and similar improvements can be observed in the periodontal health − related to gums and supporting structures of teeth − (Milgrom & Reisine, 2000). However the lack of consideration of fluoride’s potential to be harmful to human’s health is questionable and studies have pointed out the dark side of this compound (Bryson, 2006).

First of all, naturally fluoridated water has fluorine levels of approximately 0.4 mg/L, while artificially fluoridated water can have levels up to 1.0mg/L. This long-term ingestion of excess fluorine can lead to fluorosis which may negatively impact teeth and bones. Dental fluorosis occurs during tooth development. Teeth are mostly composed of hydroxylapatite, which is a mineral form of calcium. When intake of fluoride increases, it also increases apatite content, creating white streaks and in more serious cases cause mottling of teeth. In addition, fluoride levels in breast milk are around 0.004mg/L. Therefore, infants who drink baby formula with fluoridated water will be exposed to 300 times more fluoride, increasing the risk of developing dental fluorosis. Skeletal fluorosis is another disease in which fluoride accumulates in the bone for several years. Early symptoms of skeletal fluorosis may be forms of arthritis such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis which are joint pains and stiffness. In more severe cases, the bone can calcify, which is the conversion of soft bone tissue into hard and insoluble calcium compounds. This can lead to muscle and joint impairment. (WHO) For over 40 years, U.S health organizations have claimed that skeletal fluorosis will not develop unless an individual intake 10-20mg/L of fluoride every day. However, studies in India and China shows that a person can have skeletal fluorosis with levels of 0.7-1.5mg/L. Fluoride can also impact

Credibility Statement: As a person who has been brushing his teeth for many years without knowing the effects that fluoride can cause, I decided to do extensive research on the topic to find out what we are really putting in our bodies.