Fluoride Research Paper

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.

Fluorides are compounds that have been combined with the element fluorine with another substance usually a metal (Cancer.org 2015). Fluoride is a naturally occurring element found in rocks, in soil everywhere, in fresh water and in ocean water (Fluoride information network 2015). Fluorides strengthen teeth already present inside the mouth. Once in the digestive tract they travel through the blood to areas with high

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.

Failure to excrete F- effectively. Pt definitely at higher risk of fluorosis but also of other potential damaging effects of fluoride (29)

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

Fluoride is a natural occurring element found abundantly in the Earth’s crust. It is widely distributed in the lithosphere and is the 13th most common element in the earth’s crust (Lennon et al., 2004, pg. 2). It is found in seawater at a concentrations between 1.2–1.4 mg/L, in groundwater at concentrations up to 67 mg/L, and in most surface waters at concentrations below 0.1 mg/L (IPCS, 2002). While all foods contain traces of fluoride, water and non-dairy beverages are the main sources of ingested fluoride; concentrations of fluoride in public drinking water accounts for 66 to 80% of fluoride intake in the United States (IPCS, 2002).

Fluoride has been shown to be toxic and affects the brain and kidney when ingested. Research lasting one year has demonstrated that a very small quanitity of fluride added to water was suffiecient to cause changes to the kidney and brain could lead to Alzheimer’s. Fluoride allows aluminium a heavy metal to cross the blood brain barrier which can therefore cause this sickness associated with this element.

Also, fluoride has long been known as a toxic substance. This is the reason that it has been used in pesticides and rodenticides and now

Fluorine (F) is an element found in the 7th group of the periodic table from the halogen family. It’s an element that most reactive as it only needs to gain one electron to form Fluoride ion (F-). It’s in this form of fluoride that is found in our drinking water also known as fluoridated water. Water, food and living organisms are exposed to inorganic fluorides and they are hydrogen fluoride (HF), calcium fluoride (CaF2), sodium fluoride (NaF), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and silicofluoride. Fluoride compounds are plentiful in the earth’s crust and naturally found in rocks, soils, salt and sea water, representing approximately 0.06-0.09%.

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 .

1. Many sources besides tap water. Before not a single tube of toothpaste had fluoride. Now every one of them has it. Many processed beverages and foods have elevated levels of fluoride. Other sources pesticides, tea Teflon pans, pharma,

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

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

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.

Fluorine is added in water in certain countries and used in toothpaste so that it can strengthen people’s teeth.