Water fluoridation debate. (EH Update).Most water systems in the United States add fluoride to their treated water. Increasingly, though, the practice is being challenged. Two researchers at the University of Toronto Research at the University of Toronto has been responsible for the world's first electronic heart pacemaker, artificial larynx, single-lung transplant, nerve transplant, artificial pancreas, chemical laser, G-suit, the first practical electron microscope, the first cloning of T-cells, have questioned the benefits of fluoridation. In an article in the November 2001 issue of the Canadian Dental Association The Canadian Dental Association, also known as the Association dentaire canadienne in French was founded in 1902. It is a non-profit professional association representing Canada's 18,000 dentists. Journal, Howard Cohen cohen or kohen (Hebrew: “priest”) Jewish priest descended from Zadok (a descendant of Aaron), priest at the First Temple of Jerusalem. The biblical priesthood was hereditary and male. and David Locker write, "Although current studies indicate that water fluoridation continues to be beneficial, recent reviews have shown that the quality of the evidence provided by these studies is poor." The authors go on to claim that studies show only small differences in tooth decay between fluoridated and non-fluoridated child populations. Other studies suggest that there may be a link between fluoridated water and certain types of cancer. In 1989, a National Cancer Institute study found "equivocal evidence" that fluoride had caused bone cancer in rats, and noted nationwide evidence that rates of bone and joint cancer are rising in fluoridated counties but not in non-fluoridated ones. A 1993 report by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry The United States Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, (ATSDR) is an agency for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that is directed by a congressional mandate to perform specific functions concerning the effect on public health of hazardous , however, found that "studies in people have not shown fluorides to be carcinogenic, and the studies in animals are mixed." At about the same time the Canadian article was released, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), agency of the U.S. Public Health Service since 1973, with headquarters in Atlanta; it was established in 1946 as the Communicable Disease Center. (CDC) released a report titled Promoting Oral Health Interventions for Preventing Dental Caries caries or tooth decay Localized disease that causes decay and cavities in teeth. It begins at the tooth's surface and may penetrate the dentin and the pulp cavity. , Oral and Pharyngeal Cancers, and Sports-Related Craniofacial Injuries, which strongly recommends community-based interventions to prevent tooth decay, including water fluoridation. Community water fluoridation involves adjusting the natural fluoride level in source water. Water systems that fluoridate fluoridate (flôr´idāt), v to add fluoride to a water supply. their supply usually set the optimal level for fluoride at one part per million. The article "The Science and Ethics of Water Fluoridation" can be found at <http://www.nofluoride.com/reports/Science&EthicsCanadian_Dental_Asso c.pdf>. The article "Promoting Oral Health" can be viewed at <www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5O2lal.htm>. (Adapted, with permission, from On Tap, a publication of the National Drinking Water Clearinghouse, Vol. 2, No. 1, Spring 2002.) |
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