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More Fluoride = Less Teeth
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New York - October 2003 - Total tooth loss increased while Americans steadily receive more fluoridated water and food, according to recent government statistics.
Fluoride, hailed as a cavity preventive is supposed to enhance tooth retention; but fails expectations.
In 1999, 24.4% of Americans over 65 were reported edentulous(1) by the Centers for Disease Control, ranging from 14% in Hawaii (9% fluoridated) to 48% in West Virginia (87% fluoridated).
However, the April 2003 Journal of the American Dental Association reports toothlessness averages 30.3% with poor seniors suffering the highest rates at 45.1%.(2)
Yet 65.8% of Americans receive fluoridated tap water, up 3.7% since 1992 (3) and virtually all Americans consume a fluoridated diet.(4)
This seems to be a trend.
"The states that were awarded A's (in the Nation's Oral health Report Card(5)) for having the highest percentage of their population on fluoridated water had the lowest grades for the percentage of people who still had their teeth," according to an analysis by Hardy Limeback PhD, DDS, Head, Preventive Dentistry, University of Toronto(6).
Limeback found that "people were more likely to have missing teeth if they lived in the states where more than 50% of the population was fluoridated. Ironically, the states with the lowest percentage of communities with fluoridated water had the highest grades for oral health - in terms of missing teeth (e.g. more people kept their teeth if they lived in communities without fluoridation)."
Despite a high fluoridation rate, school oral health curriculum and fluoride supplement programs, 47% of 2 - 5 year old Kentucky children suffer tooth decay (7) at a rate much higher than the national average (8). So do New York City Children(9), Maryland children (10), and Connecticut children (11), all fluoridated.
Actually, dental crises appear in many fluoridated cities. (See: Cavity Crises In Fluoridated Cities http://www.orgsites.com/ny/nyscof2/_pgg5.php3)
Embarrassed dentists, with no evidence, try to blame fluoride-free bottled water(12) for the cavity increase. But, instead of a fluoride deficit, dental journals report fluoride excess(13a-L). Water is only one of too many fluoride sources creating dental fluorosis, an unsightly, sometimes tooth destroying disease.
Lack of dental care rather than lack of fluoride is the real cavity promoting problem.(14) Medicaid-refusing dentists, poor insurance coverage, empty pockets, and/or lack of nearby dentists send many to hospital emergency rooms for dental care.
Louisiana's Medicaid program wouldn't pay for a woman's $70 tooth extractions but did pay thousands for her hospitalization for a fever, infection, pneumonia and subsequent heart attack initiated by the infected tooth, according to the Gainsville Sun (14a)
Severe tooth decay is responsible for 2/3 of hospital visits by children under six in New York State (15), where almost 70% of the population drinks fluoridated water. More fluoridated New York City children required cavity-related hospitalizations, proportionately, than two of New York State's largest non-fluoridated counties, Suffolk and Nassau, whether payment was made by Medicaid or privately.
Because of abysmal diets, an astounding 76% of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) preschoolers have cavities(16). But the lowest rate among AI/AN is in one of the least fluoridated states, California, according to a 1999 Oral Health Study.(17)
The emblem of dentists zeal are teeth discolored or disfigured by fluoride over-ingestion. Dental fluorosis, white spotted, yellow, brown or black and sometimes pitted teeth, the only outward sign of fluoride toxicity, that some say predicts fluoride-induced bone damage, is increasing in prevalence and severity in the U.S.(18) along with an increase in cavities(19).
Incredibly, 3% of those cavity-prone 6 - 14 year old AI/AN population have moderate or severe fluorosis which the American Dental Association defines as marked wear on biting surfaces, brown stain, and/or pitting.
It seems the dentist's major weapon, fluoride is shooting blanks and damaging teeth.
Over 91% of fluoridated communities use silicofluorides, recently linked to children's higher blood lead levels. Lead causes cavities(20) and displaces tooth building calcium in the body.(21)
Despite the evidence indicating dentist need and poor diet causes severe tooth decay - not fluoride deficiency, misinformed dentists still push fluoridation before too-trusting legislators.
Coalitions of public health professionals and doctors campaigned hard to convince Salt Lake City, Utah, to fluoridate its populace, which started October 1, 2003, despite a Utah study showing more hip fractures in fluoridated Brigham City compared to non-fluoridated Logan and Cedar City (22). And, Utah , the least fluoridated state (2%) has one of the lowest tooth loss rates.
Connersville, Indiana, dentists lobbied successfully for fluoridation (23) despite a study showing many Connersville children, specifically, already consumed too much fluoride.(24)
"Not only is fluoridation ineffective at reducing tooth decay; but it is exposing Americans to needless health problems and wasting dwindling tax dollars that could be used to actually save lives. Fluoridation must stop," says lawyer Paul Beeber, President, New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc.
References:
(1)Total Tooth Loss Among Persons Aged Greater Than or Equal to 65 Years -- Selected States, 1995-1997, March 19, 1999, http://www.cdc.gov/epo/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00056723.htm
(2)"Oral Health status of older rural adults in the United States," Vargas, et al, April 2003, Journal of the American Dental Association
(3) Fluoridation Status, CDC, http://www2.cdc.gov/nohss/FluoridationV.asp
(4) Water Fluoridation Costs in Texas http://www.tdh.state.tx.us/dental/flstudy.htm
(5) Oral Health in America 2003 http://www.oralhealthamerica.org/Report%20Card%202003%20final.pdf
(6) Oral Health in America: Fluoridation, Tooth Loss and Oral Cancer, by Hardy Limeback, http://www.slweb.org/oralhealth.america.html
(7) "The 2001 Kentucky Childrens Oral Health Survey: findings for children ages 24 to 59 months and their caregivers," Pediatr Dent. 2003 Jul-Aug;25(4):365-72 by Hardison JD, Cecil JC, White JA, Manz M, Mullins MR, Ferretti GA. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=13678102&dopt=Abstract
(8) Healthy People 2010 http://www.healthypeople.gov/document/HTML/Volume2/21Oral.htm#_Toc489700408
(9) "Dental caries among disadvantaged 3- to 4-year-old children in northern Manhattan," Pediatr Dent. 2002 May-Jun;24(3):229-33, by Albert DA, Park K, Findley S, Mitchell DA, McManus JM http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12064497&dopt=Abstract
(10) "Oral health status of preschool children attending Head Start in Maryland, 2000," Pediatr Dent. 2002 May-Jun;24(3):257-63 by Vargas CM, Monajemy N, Khurana P, Tinanoff N http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12064502&dopt=Abstract
(11) Fluoridation Fails Poor Children, News Release, New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation http://www.enn.com/direct/display-release.asp?objid=D1D1364E000000F3733F2C0618E21B27
(12) http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=30052002-022918-7269r Bottled water not affecting tooth decay,By Joe Grossman,UPI Science News, Published 5/30/2002
(13 a) J Am Dent Assoc 1999 Nov;130(11):1593-9 Assessing fluoride levels of carbonated soft drinks, Heilman JR, Kiritsy MC, Levy SM, Wefel JS.
b) J Am Dent Assoc 1997 Jul;128(7):857-63 Fluoride concentrations of infant foods,Heilman JR, Kiritsy MC, Levy SM, Wefel JS
c) J Am Dent Assoc 1996 Jul;127(7):895-902 Assessing fluoride concentrations of juices and juice-flavored drinks,Kiritsy MC, Levy SM, Warren JJ, Guha-Chowdhury N, Heilman JR, Marshall T.
d) J Clin Pediatr Dent 1991 Fall;16(1):38-40 Fluoride levels and fluoride contamination of fruit juices, Stannard JG, Shim YS, Kritsineli M, Labropoulou P, Tsamtsouris A.
e) J Public Health Dent 1995 Winter;55(1):39-52 Sources of fluoride intake in children, Levy SM, Kiritsy MC, Warren JJ.
f) Behrendt A, Oberste V, Wetzel WE. (2002). Fluoride concentration and pH of iced tea products. Caries Research. 36(6): 405-410.
g) Fein NJ, Cerklewski FL. (2001). Fluoride content of foods made with mechanically separated chicken. J Agric Food Chem. 49(9):4284-6.
h) Turner SD, et al. (1998). Impact of imported beverages on fluoridated and nonfluoridated communities. Gen Dent 46(2):190-3
I) Stannard JG, et al. (1991). Fluoride Levels and Fluoride Contamination of Fruit Juices. Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry. 16(1):38-40
j) ASDC J Dent Child 2001 Jan-Feb;68(1):37-41,10 Fluoride content of infant formulas prepared with deionized, bottled mineral and fluoridated drinking water,Buzalaf MA, Granjeiro JM, Damante CA, de Ornelas F.
k) J Public Health Dent 1999 Fall;59(4):229-34 Fluoride intake by infants,Fomon SJ, Ekstrand J.
L) J Dent Res 1992 Jul;71(7):1382-8 Fluoride intake from beverage consumption in a sample of North Carolina children, Pang DT, Phillips CL, Bawden J.W.
(14) Much of America Is Running Short Of Dentists ABC TV 13, Virginia, September 21, 2003 http://new.wset.com/news/stories/0903/103462.html
(14a) Dental care gaps hurt poor, elderly Gainsville Sun, October 12, 2003 http://gainesvillesun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031012/LOCAL/31012019
(15) "Early Childhood Caries-related Visits to Hospitals for Ambulatory Surgery in New York State," Wadhawan, Kumar, Badner, Green, Journal of Public Health Dentistry Vol 63 No.1, Winter 2003
(16) Indian Health Service January 2001,UPDATE,Oral Health Initiative http://www.ihs.gov/publicinfo/publicaffairs/bios/previousdirectors/trujillo%20stmts%20initiatives/initiatives/oral2001nov.asp
(17) The Oral Health Status of American Indian/Alaska Native Preschool Children: A Crisis in Indian Country, September 2001, THE IHS PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER, Indian Health Services, US Dept of Health and Human Servcies http://www.ihs.gov/publicinfo/publications/healthprovider/issues/prov0901.pdf
18) Prevalence and Trends in Enamel Fluorosis in the United States From the 1930s to the 1980s Beltrán-Aguilar E.D.[1], Griffin S.O.[2], Lockwood S.A.[3] , The Journal of the American Dental Association, February 2002, vol. 133, no. 2,pp. 157-165 (9 pages)
(19) The Wall Street Journal, "Health Journal: As kids' cavities rise, some dentists advocate using tooth sealants," Tara Parker-Pope, March 8, 2002
a) "Are Cavity Rates Rising," Delta Dental http://www.deltanj.com/kids_club/news_wisdom_1002.shtml#6
b) NBC Arkansas News Report, April 2, 2002, "Are the amount of cavities rising in children?"
c) University of Rochester News Release "Dental cavities on the rise again; back to 'drill and fill'" http://fluoride.oralhealth.org/papers/2000/eurekaalert040800.htm
d) "Rise in tooth decay may be tied to sugary pop, sports drinks and even bottled water," Seattle Times , May 21, 2002, by Judith Blake http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=cavity21&date=20020521
e) "Early Childhood Tooth Decay," by Stephen R. Branam, D.D.S http://www.drbranam.com/pgeArticle_Early.htm
f) "Special Report: Cincinnati's dental crisis, Shortage, cost can be torture for poor" Erica Solvig, October 6, 2002 http://enquirer.com/editions/2002/10/06/loc_special_report.html
(20) Moss ME, Lanphear BP, Auinger P. Association of dental caries and blood lead levels, JAMA 1999;281(24):2294-8
(21) http://www.loe.org/series/lead2003/
(22) "Hip fractures and fluoridation in Utah's elderly population." JAMA. 1992 Aug 12;268(6):746-8. , Danielson et al. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1640574&dopt=Abstract
(23) U.S. Communities Recently Voting to Adopt Fluoridation, American Dental Association http://www.ada.org/public/topics/fluoride/us_fluoridation.pdf
(24) Community Dentistry & Oral Epidemiology 1999 Aug, "Fluoride intake from foods, beverages and dentifrice by young children in communities with negligibly and optimally fluoridated water: a pilot study"Rojas-Sanchez F, Kelly SA, Drake KM, Eckert GJ, Stookey GK, Dunipace AJ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10403089&dopt=Abstract
For more information, contact:
Paul S. Beeber President & General Counsel New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation PO Box 263 Old Bethpage, NY 11804 nyscof@aol.com
Web site:
http://www.orgsites.com/ny/nyscof
