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Subscribe to RSSDentists are seeing a surge in baby teeth cavities, with some children having so many, they need anesthesia. NBC's Dr. Nancy Synderman and Dr. Bruce Blau talk about the dental problem facing children in America.
Ifp / featurepics.com
About 45 percent of parents give their children bottled water instead of tap water, a study found, which dentists say may leave them lacking fluoride that can prevent tooth decay.
When the dentist had to fill six cavities in her 4-year-old son’s baby teeth, Amy Wilson was shocked.
The New York City mother of three scanned her family’s habits, trying to figure how Seamus, now 7, could have developed such tooth decay so early.
“We said, 'No, no, no, they don’t have candy or gum or soda regularly,'” recalled Wilson, 42, an actress, author and blogger. For a while, she was stumped.
But then, at a party, a dentist friend posed a surprising question: Did Wilson’s children drink bottled water?
“I had a dentist tell me to make sure to give my kids tap water and not bottled because the latter isn’t fluoridated, and he’s seeing kids with more cavities,” said Wilson, who posted on the popular blog, Type A Parent.
It turns out that many dentists and government health officials suspect that the practice of skipping tap water in favor of bottled water may be contributing to rising rates of tooth decay in young children.
Courtesy Amy Wilson
Amy Wilson, 42, of New York, was shocked when Seamus, far left, had to have six cavities filled at age 4. She now makes sure Seamus, now 7, as well as Connor, 9, and Maggie, 4, drink fluoridated filtered water from the family tap.
“You should brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, see the dentist twice a year for fluoride treatment and get fluoride in your drinking water,” said Jonathan D. Shenkin, spokesman on pediatric dentistry for the American Dental Association. “If you’re not getting it in your drinking water, that takes out a component of the effectiveness of that triad.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, too, warns that “bottled water may not have a sufficient amount of fluoride, which is important for preventing tooth decay and promoting oral health.”
No question, many kids do drink bottled water. One recent study in the Archives of Pediatrics found that about 45 percent of parents give their kids only or primarily bottled water, while another in the journal Pediatric Dentistry found that nearly 70 percent of parents gave bottled water either alone or with tap water.
More than 65 percent of parents using bottled water did not know what levels of fluoride it contained, that study showed.
At the same time, tooth decay appears to affect a huge swath of the nation’s young children. About 42 percent of children ages 2 to 11 in the U.S. had cavities in their baby teeth, according to a 2007 prevalence study, the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The study tracked rising decay from 1988 to 1994 and then from 1999 to 2004, when it was up overall about 2 percent. The data showed that decay affected not only more than half of children at the lowest income levels, but also nearly a third of kids in higher-income families.
That supports additional research by Bruce Dye, a dental epidemiology officer with the National Center for Health Statistics, which actually found that boys in higher income families had the greatest prevalence of decay. Whether that's because it's harder to get those boys to brush, or because parents in higher-income families are more likely to provide more beverages, such as juice, sports drinks -- and bottled water -- isn't clear.
“I look at that as choices being made,” Dye said. “Gatorade or bottled water could be part of that.”
To be clear, there are no studies to date that document a clear tie between bottled water and tooth decay. And the International Bottled Water Association, an industry trade group, notes that at least 20 of its roughly 125 bottlers do offer fluoridated bottled water -- and that water is a healthier option than other beverages.
“In fact, bottled water does not contain ingredients that cause cavities, such as sugar,” the IBWA said in a statement responding to a recent New York Times story about a rise in dental surgeries among tots.
But Shenkin and other dental experts say it’s actually not clear whether there’s a link between bottled water and tooth decay, mostly because the issue hasn’t been studied because of a lack of funding for oral health research.
They contend that the continued popularity of bottled water in the U.S. -- about 8.4 million gallons a year or about 27.6 gallons per person in 2009, according to the Beverage Marketing Corp. -- fuels concern about kids’ consumption.
“I look at it as parents trying to do the right thing, trying to be healthy, but being healthy doesn’t prevent [cavities],” said Dye.
Fluoridation of public water supplies has been hailed as a public health victory, but in recent years, many U.S. communities have voted to stop adding it to local drinking water. Fluoride protects against tooth decay, but it also can cause tooth discoloration and bone weakness if ingested at too high levels for many years, experts agree.
Federal regulators last year proposed setting recommended fluoride levels in drinking water to the lowest end of a range that permits between 0.7 and 1.2 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water, but officials are still wrestling with finding a balance between preventing decay without harming teeth and health.
Meanwhile, inadequate brushing habits, delayed dental visits, poor choices of foods and snacks and bad beverage selection -- in addition to spotty consumption of fluoride -- all likely contribute to tooth decay, Dye said.
No matter what causes it, the problem with decay that starts early is that it often gets worse.
“When you have tooth decay in your baby teeth, you will have tooth decay in your permanent teeth,” said Dye.
The problem may be particularly worrisome in minority families, who were three times more likely than others to give their kids only bottled water, usually because of concerns about the safety or taste of their home tap water.
Kids in minority families also are more likely to have tooth decay. The CDC data showed that 55 percent of Mexican-American kids ages 2 to 11 and 43 percent of black children had cavities in their baby teeth. For white youngsters, the figure was about 37 percent.
For all families, the key is to make dental health a priority, Shenkin said. Babies should see a dentist by age 1 and brushing twice a day with a fluoride-containing toothpaste should start at age 2.
“As soon as that first tooth comes through in the mouth, it’s susceptible to decay,” he said. “If you wait until kids are 3 or 4 years of age, it’s already happened.”
For Wilson, who admits tooth brushing is a struggle with kids now aged 4, 7 and 9, awareness has been a big part of changing her family’s habits.
“We live in New York City where the tap water tastes fine,” she said.
Related stories:
Got water? Schools scramble to provide kids most basic supply
Leave a Comment:
The problem is the dentists are battle against the consiracy nuts who are conviced floride is a secret government plot to poison people. Has anyone simply considered giving your child a REUSABLE container and refilling it every day with tap water? Save you a fortune.
As the economy has tanked, for families with lower wages, lost jobs, etc., the dentist is one expense that many are forced to eliminate. Even with insurance, co-pays are high and yearly limits on dental care are low, so out of pocket expenses even for seemingly minor dental work and cleaning can be unaffordable for many families. This most likely has something to do with higher statistics of dental decay in children. Also, I am certain that children's diets, and especially sports drinks, sweetened juices and drinks and pop are major contributors to any rise in childhood decay. I am not a proponent of fluoride in the drinking water...I think toothpaste with fluoride (that gets spit out and not ingested) may be helpful, but many studies have shown ingesting fluoride to pose risks for some...even to tooth enamel, and many countries have stopped the practice of adding it to their drinking water.
In my opinion, if we were supposed to have fluoride in our drinking water, God would have put it in there. There are other causes of any statistical rise in pediatric tooth decay.
No. The problem is that tap water tastes like bleach.
or maybe your God would:
provided the cure to TB
stopped babies being born deformed
Stopped children from starving & being abused.
Stopped my wife dying of cancer at 41
Your God also told of "free will", a free will to develop and make our lives better.
Your statement is the same as refusing a sick child medicine.
KJR, Flouride is a natural component of most well water and some surface water. It is also found in tea, chicken, sardines, fish, and grape juice. (The link is here.) I owned a house for many years with a well. The water from the well tested at 0.9 milligrams of flouride per liter.
@ Dale3242:
Strawman arument... the flouride component being added to municipal water supplies by law is generally sodium-flouride and it not found naturally. It being added by a rather capricious (and cynical) choice. It is a toxic waste resulting from, among other things, aluminum production.
One of the chief lobbyists/supporters behind the pseudo-science of the "healthy benefits" of this contamination was in fact Alcoa. Their concern was the liability from the levels of the toxic compound that they dumped into rivers and lakes during WW2 as a consequence of aluminum manufacturing processes (aircraft production).
Yeah, just like he would have given us natural immunity to all disease, freedom from hunger and world peace. The world isn't perfect, dummy, and we have to do what we can to improve our lives.
If there were a god (dream on, oh superstitious one!) he made you stupid, and you haven't done anything to improve that, either.
This "not naturally occurring" is, in of itself a strawman argument. This is another tinfoil argument against Big Business. Yes, anything in excess is poisonous, including bottle water. No, there are proven health benefits of adding flourine to tap waters in the proper quantities.
I have lived in areas where we were advised not to let our children drink tap water because the natural flouride was too high. Where I live now (near Phoenix) we are told the water has so much garbage in it that it should not be used for mixing baby formula, which makes me doubt that it is good for anyone. It also tastes awful. In each case the condition of the water was brought to our attention by the children's pediatrition. I would think all pediatritions should be aware of and advise parents of local environmental problems that affect children, I guess we got lucky.
The right wingnuts have made removing flouride from public water supplies a cause of their own. They have removed it from the water already in about a dozen municipalities (the margest being Tampa/St. Pete.) There is legislation pending in about 20 states and a couple of hundred municipalities to remove it completely.
@DAK,
Wrongo bucko! Sodium fouriude was what was used starting in 1945. Today it is only used on small, often antiquated water systems, mostly rural, accounting for around 9% of flouridation. 28% use sodium flourosilicate and 63% use flourosilisic acid. What causes poorly-informed people such as yourself to make the error is that flouridation is usuelly expressed in "NaF Units" so that everyone is talking about the same levels of flouridation.
Fouride IS found naturally in water. As early as the 1850's scientists had noticed that both a type of blackening of the teeth and an absence of cavities were both directly related to the amount of natural fouride in drinking water. Too much and you got blackening and too little and you got cavities. It wasn't until 1901 when dentistry became an active profession that the eliminatin of certain stains on teeth caused real scientific inquiry, and by 1925 the link between small amounts of flouride in the water and absence of cavities was shown. Fouridation to strengthen the enamel in both baby and adult teeth became a "best practice" by 1950. The flouridation of water was neither capricious nor cynical. It was the result of over 100 years of scientific study and data.
It is the ingestion of flouride that causes it to be incorporated into the enamel. Toothpaste is almost completely ineffective as a replacement for flouridated water. Topical application of flouride by dentists has no supporting data and is considered by most to be a scam except in the case of a certain type of rare enamel deficiency. The pills work well, but are a source of concern in that a child could overdose and get black teeth from taking them inappropriately.
NO country has stopped using flouride in water. You made that one up. In fact, many in other countries are faintly amused at the amount of attention that Americans pay to their teeth but still consider flouridation as a conspiracy theory. And ultimately we are talking, not about pediatric tooth decay so much as adult tooth decay. Pediatric tooth decay is just an early warning sign of what is coming to adult teeth.
But always remember --- behind every conspiracy theory is at least one real nut!
No, the government is not trying to poison anybody. It is not poisoning when 'lack of federal oversight' will not be including dental coverage in the new national health care system.
and I suppose Alcoa was simply being magnanimous and looking out for everyone's best interests?
I really doubt that the American Dental Association is afraid of conspiracy theorists.
Teeth acquire fluoride in two ways, one from the surface of the tooth its self, through small tubes in the enamel where fluoride enters (topically) or internally via water and other sources. However here is the key note on water and other "swallowed" sources":
"Swallowed fluorides do not add fluoride to the teeth in someone older than age 16"
Swallowed fluorides help in children when the teeth are still in the jaw but not afterward.
A note on the conspiracy of fluoride poisoning, it typically takes 10 g of fluoride to cause poisoning and death, the average amount of toothpaste used to brush contains 0.3 mg of fluoride, so you would have to consume around 33,000 times the mount of tooth paste used in a daily brush to poison yourself.
Article link, with some of content copied below.
http://www.mbschachter.com/dangers_of_fluoride_and_fluorida.htm
@Chris
Wikipedia article link (with sources of information listed), with quote from article copied below...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluoridation_by_country
And those who do get fluorosis loose all of their teeth by the time they are in their '20's.
Dentists recommending tap water for kids should be aware that this is a bad idea in Pavillion Wyoming, Dimock PA, Weld and Garfield county CO due to water contamination from facking. Funny how the right-wing nuts think flouride is a conspiracy but being able to light water from you tap on fire is not out of the ordinary or caused by fracking.
Dr. Colquhoun and other researchers failed to comment that the main protective purpose of fluoridation is the protection of teeth in children who have bad oral hygiene when it comes to brushing.
Epidemiologically speaking, his research was found wanting. He and others were comparing children in areas with and without fluoridation which is not a good comparison, nor is it a scientifically sound. This is because the majority of these children were using toothpaste and this was their main source of fluoride. Not from water. Tooth paste contains the same amount of fluoride in one hit as 3 litres of water.
In other words they should have been comparing those who do not brush their teeth.
If God had meant drinking water to be pure, you could drink the oceans!
It would be better if people had a choice, and tap water was not fortified with fluoride. You could easily give young children a fluoride supplement if so desired. It costs taxpayers a lot of money to add fluoride to drinking water. And of course, it is only natural that producers of sodium fluoride would resent any change. Lots of money is involved. But I do not believe that fluoride is anywhere near as bad as it's opponents make it to be. To me, the issue is cost.
pediatritions. Really, paramed? Try pediatricians. What kind of paramedic are you if you can't correctly spell the names for common medical practitioners?
Spell-check...Priceless.
Sorry, but I would rather my children drink pure water and have to use fluoride rinses. If they get more cavities, so be it. There are so many additives in our food, water, and air that I am sure are causing many of the cancers, immune system disorders, attention deficits, possibly autism, etc.
Cavities can be fixed. Many of these other issues cannot.
I'm sure you could hear a pin drop at the Coke corp headquarters right now, as they realize that there's a whole market out there of people who are going to suddenly demand fluoridated kid's water.
Fluoride, Dentists “Magic Bullet” is Shooting Blanks
Poor Not Helped; Money Wasted; Kids in Dental Pain; Viable Alternatives Shunned
Despite decades of water fluoridation in New York State, the Journal of the American Dental Association reports that emergency treatment for NYS toddlers’ severe tooth decay has grown substantially in numbers and costs, many require general anesthesia, (1)
Fluoridation is touted as an effective cavity preventive that will save money. But this study and others proves it’s doing neither.
In 72% fluoridated NYS, 25,622 children, under six-years-old, made cavity-related emergency dental visits from 2004 though 2008. Visits grew from 4,361 in 2004 to 5,683 in 2008. Seventy-five percent required general anesthesia, up from 35% in 2004. Total costs: $121 Million ($18.5 million in 2004 increased to $31.3 million in 2008), most borne by taxpayers.
The reason: “There is a limited number of dentists willing to treat patients younger than 6 and/or accept Medicaid” write the NYS researchers.
More Statistics Show Fluoridation Fails New York State
NYS Department of Health statistics reveal that, even when water is fluoridated, cavity-rates are extremely high in low-income third-graders. (2) For example:
Fluoridation not only fails New York State but nationally children, the elderly and poor lack dental care. The General Accounting Office estimates that 6.5 million children aged 2 through 18 in Medicaid had untreated tooth decay in 2005.(3)
After six decades of fluoridation and 5 decades of fluoridated toothpaste, 164 million work hours and 51 million school hours are lost due to dental problems, annually, according to the Institute of Medicine. (4) Also, a 2008 study of the armed forces reveals 52% of new recruits had oral health problems needing urgent attention, reports the Pew Charitable Trust.
“The American economy is hurt by dentists’ refusal to treat low-income Americans and by organized dentistry’s lobbying to outlaw cheaper dental care by viable dental professionals, such as dental therapists,” says attorney Paul Beeber, NYSCOF President. “Fluoridation is a false concept that must be abandoned.”
Past Studies Show that when fluoridation ceases so do cavities (5 )
over time in the fluoridation-ended community while remaining unchanged
in the fluoridated community."
Makes me a little nervous. Look, fluoride does occur naturally, mostly in the form of calcium-fluoride. I would not be concerned if that was what was being added to the drinking water. But when a chemical is added to something, the whole chemical should be considered, not just one ion. When they concentrate on just one piece, saying that they are "fluoridating the drinking water," that should be considered an automatic red flag.
actually Domewars they are not " Conspiracy Nuts." It is proven fact Flouride causes brain damage. Type in on google the words Japan Flouride and Brain and see what you find. A little research might make you not so dependant on lies for your daily information. Im sure you believe GMO foods are good for your health as well. No go put poison in your childrens water bottles like the good parent you are
Do you know how stupid you people sound that are blaming this on political parties???? Just thought you should know.......
Sorry, I'm not buying it. I believe fluoride to be effective when applied topically, but dangerous when ingested. We've always used bottled water and none of my kids (oldest are adults) have ever had a single cavity. I, on the other hand, had a number of cavities as a child, and I did grow up drinking fluoridated tap water. Cavities are not caused so much by particular foods as they are by lack of good dental hygiene, a factor I notice was not questioned by the mother at the beginning of the article.
One of the first uses of fluoride was in Nazi death camps to help keep prisoners subdued and less likely to resist.
Metal manufacturers produce fluoride in bulk. It's complete industrial waste in the form they produce it in, and it's nothing like the natural fluoride found in water. These companies are actually able to sell this product to state municipalities so they can dump their toxic waste into our water supply. Whoever, thought up that idea is a genius.
Fluoride also bio-accumulates in crops so there is a high prevalence of it in crops as well. People are being absolutely over fluoridated.
Could our government be taking ques from Hitler to help keep our population subdued? No... nothing to see here people... drink your fluoride... your government is here to protect you... consume your industrial waste...
Oh please, like kids are really drinking SO much bottled water. I for one would trade the consequences of drinking "too much" bottled water, for the consequences [and the reality] of them drinking sodas and other sugared drinks all day to the tune of 1,000+ calories from corn syrup. Give me a break. Big government ... drinking too much soda ... never mind, you're drinking too much bottled water. This nanny state/media is out of control.
KJR, You need to take some basic chemistry. Sodium fluoride is a salt. Once it is added to water it dissolves into two component ions. (Just as table salt, sodium chloride does.) The fluoride ion in the water is the same no matter what the source. No straw man, just basic chemistry.
Second, Dr. Michael Schachter is a psychiatrist! His background is not biochemistry. He has been an advocate of laetrile! Check out quackwatch about laetrile.
We have a well, my son is 11, we never gave him any fluoride supplements and he doesn't have a single cavity. He used flouride toothpaste from a young age, and we always make sure his teeth are brushed at least twice a day.
Because what this article leaves out is that there are also a whole lot of parents who are not taking adequate care of their young children's teeth and making sure that they are being brushed often enough.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/06/health/rise-in-preschool-cavities-prompts-anesthesia-use.html?pagewanted=all
lol, contradict yourself much? Fluoride toothpaste IS a supplement.
Chris - LOL - it is not an INGESTED supplement. *rolls eyes*.
There is big difference between topical fluoride applications and the INGESTION of fluoride. You're not as smart as you seem to think you are.
I've raised four kids, the oldest is 20 and the youngest 13. None of them have ever had cavities and our water has never been fluoridated. Floride is not the solution to healthy teeth. Good dental habits and a healthy diet are the things that determine whether a kid will develop cavities or not.
LOL - and you think you don't INGEST ingredients from your toothpaste? *twirls penis*
Chris, maybe if you stopped playing with your whanker so much, you'd learn how to spit instead of swallowing. *rolls eyes again*
Chris, did you notice on the toothpaste container it says not to swallow. Hmm.... I wonder why?
If it's not safe to swallow it's not going in my mouth. Even some safe things are not going there...
I encourage anyone who wishes to be an expert in toothpastes, to add to their samples and try the various brands sold at health food stores, before coming to the final expert opinion.
I prefer ones who swallow rather than spit...but that's just me...
Some kids are born with low enamel. Some problems with teeth are hereditary. Brushing often and eating well doesn't cut it for some.
-
That's the most intelligent thing you've posted all day.
"That's the most intelligent thing you've posted all day."
Writes the man who talks about playing with his penis. Yeah, you're a genius. I think you spill your brains every time you jack off, which, from your comments, is probaby at least several times a day. I'm thinking you need to give the ol' whanker a rest before you forget how to wipe your own arse.
How about getting a reusable container, like a Nalgene and refilling it. Bottled water is a joke and the American public is buying it and trashing the planet with plastic. As for kids with cavities, I doubt it's unfloridated water. Candy, sugar, soda, and all the other junk kids ingest, thats cavity causing...
*
This is just another attempt to brainwash everybody that reads something and buys it without doing their own investigation to discover the truth. Floride is a neurotoxin. I never allowed my kids to use floridated water or toothpaste, sugar and sugary treats were seldom used and they were taught brushing and flossing as soon as they had teeth. They were 14 and 16 when they had their first cavities. Guess what, they were eating all the junk food they could get and were getting to that point where Mom is old fashioned, etc.
Floride was added to the food of prisoners during World War II to make them docile and stupid. If you are dumb enough to buy the trash that is in this article, perhaps it is too late for you, already. Unless you were just dumped here from another planet and are not aware of the, so-called, research that has been surfacing since the mid-1950s, that is backed by special interest groups to sway the unaware public, it is time to do your own sleuthing to discover who is promoting this drivel and make an informed dicision form your efforts.
Siddmartha, Flouride is a natural component of most well water. It is also found in tea, chicken, sardines, fish, and grape juice. (The link is here.) Flouridation began after studies showed that people living in areas with natural flouride in their drinking water had far fewer cavities.
Fine, Dale, if it's found in all those places, I guess there's no need to fluoridate our water. The government has no business doing anything to water besides making sure it's potable. If people want to take fluoride supplements, that should be their CHOICE - not something forced onto people by a Big Brother.
@ Dale3242: How many different times are you going to post this as a reply? Each time I going to feel compelled the B-slap your ridiculous claims...
Strawman arument... the flouride component being added to municipal water supplies by law is generally sodium-flouride and it not found naturally. It being added by a rather capricious (and cynical) choice. It is a toxic waste resulting from, among other things, aluminum production.
One of the chief lobbyists/supporters behind the pseudo-science of the "healthy benefits" of this contamination was in fact Alcoa. Their concern was the liability from the levels of the toxic compound that they dumped into rivers and lakes during WW2 as a consequence of aluminum manufacturing processes (aircraft production).
I don't understand your objection to sodium fluoride. Add it to water and you get sodium cations and fluoride anions; both occur naturally.
DAK, You need to take some basic chemistry. Sodium fluoride is a salt. Once it is added to water it dissolves into two component ions. (Just as table salt, sodium chloride disolves.) The fluoride ion in the water is the same no matter what the source. No straw man, just basic chemistry.
Anecdotal evidence isn't relevant in this case. It's a simple fact that some people get cavities more easily than others. There is also strong evidence that fluoride helps against cavities.
Nothing fights cavities better than good dental hygiene and staying away from sugary foods and drinks.
Fluoride-laced water might help lessen tooth decay for those that aren't taking the best care of their teeth, but should never be used as a substitute for good dental hygiene.
And the simple fact that some people get cavities more easily than other people do should therefore NOT be used as an excuse to adulterate EVERYONE'S water.
So bogus. My kids didn't drink fluoridated water and they didn't have a lot
of cavities. In fact only one of them had one cavity. They brushed and flossed
their teeth, didn't have milk or juice before bed and had sealants put on their
permanent molars. Even if drinking fluoride is a benefit, and I don't believe
it is, it would only be useful while teeth are forming. Once all the permanent
teeth are in the fluoride would no longer be beneficial. So basically the
majority of the population that drinks fluoridated water is being medicated for
no reason.
muri - that's what my dentist told me as well. That fluoride supplements were really only effective when the teeth were forming. We should not be accepting our water being adulterated in this way. It's ridiculous.
Science says fluoride supplements are not effective, not safe and not FDA approved
According to the Cochrane Oral Health Group, fluoride supplements fail
to reduce tooth decay in primary teeth, permanent teeth cavity-
reduction is dubious and health risks are little studied (1). Further,
"When fluoride supplements were compared with topical fluorides or
with other preventive measures, there was no differential effect on
permanent or deciduous teeth," write Cochrane researchers
In the early 1980's, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation research first
revealed fluoride tablets and mouth rinses failed to reduce tooth
decay.(2)
Fluoride supplements "have not been found by FDA to be safe or
effective," according to the US National Library of Medicine.(3)
Before testing was required, fluoride supplements slipped into common
usage without FDA approval (4) based on the presumed safety and
effectiveness of water fluoridation. But, tooth decay crises occur in
all fluoridated cities, states and countries. (4a) and fluoridation's
safety is deeply in doubt. (4b)
References: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/studies-of-fluoride-supplements-no-evidence-of-safety---no-benefit-either-135854563.html
JoNel Aleccia = statist tool
From the International Bottled Water Association: This article notes that the causes of increased dental problems in young children vary, from a simple lack of brushing to too many sugary foods and beverages. Unfortunately, the article also incorrectly states that drinking bottled water instead of ‘fluoridated tap water’ can contribute to tooth decay. This statement is both inaccurate and misleading. There is absolutely no correlation between consumption of bottled water and an increase in cavities. In fact, bottled water does not contain ingredients that cause cavities, such as sugar.
For consumers who want fluoride in their drinking water and wish to choose bottled water, approximately 20 IBWA member companies make clearly-labeled fluoridated bottled water products under stringent FDA guidelines. For a complete list of these brands, which are available in many markets across the country, please visit IBWA’s website ().
There are many sources of fluoride, and the amount of fluoride exposure varies greatly by community and individual. Approximately two-thirds of communities in the Unites States fluoridate their public drinking water supplies. Those who live in communities that do not fluoridate public drinking water, who get their drinking water from wells, or who filter their fluoridated tap water will not be getting fluoride in their drinking water. Fluoride is present in many foods and beverages and almost all toothpaste contains fluoride. Too much exposure to fluoride can lead to a condition called fluorosis, which results in stains to the teeth. Consumers should therefore look at how much fluoride they are receiving as part of an overall diet and should contact their health-care provider or dental-care provider for their recommendation.
As a packaged food product, comprehensively regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), bottled water labels must contain the name and place of business of the bottler, packer or distributor, and virtually all bottled water products provide a telephone number. With this information, consumers may contact the bottled water company directly to obtain information about the product. Bottled water companies must also follow fluoride labeling guidelines should fluoride be added to the product or be present at a naturally occurring level as set for the by FDA regulation (21C.F.R. §165.110(b)(4)(ii)(A-D)).”
Why should we believe anything in a press release from the IBWA?
Actually, many bottled waters are from various municipal water supplies. Read the label and check the report for that municipal supply to see if it contains fluoride. You will find that many bottled waters contain fluoride, since they are just tap water that has been filtered and bottled.
An article claiming that children who drink only bottled water will have more cavities is absurd. You have to separate those waters that contain fluoride from those that do not (unless it is the plastic bottle causing the cavity.)
No soda, candy or gum regularly? That's great, but it doesn't rule out fruit juice, cereal, and all the other sugary processed foods that people feed their kids. Sorry, but it isn't the water.
Cavities occur primarily due to poor diet, not poor dental care. Though not recommended, there are those who do not brush or floss at all who do not develop cavities. Heavy consumption of white bread will also cause cavities to form.
The human body is designed to resist and heal itself from bacterial invasions, and cavities are no exception. Wild animals don't have endemic cavity problems like people do and they don't brush or floss. Did our prehistoric ancestors, who never brushed, constantly lose all their teeth to cavities by age 10? Obviously not, as we wouldn't be here if they did, so what has changed?
Answer: Our diets. Americans eating highly processed foods is the cause of a great many of physical ills, including cavities.
In the American market, most grains and breads are not only processed, but overly processed to ridiculous standards.
Filling a 4 year-old's cavities (assuming he's not in pain) is nonsense. They're going to fall out in 18-24 mos.
Only the front teeth. They will have their molars for years. Molars don't start falling out until kids are around 9 and up.
If molars do not fall out until after 9 years, then why is that the age that dentists recommend braces?
The baby molars begin to fall out when the adult premolars come in...usually around 9-10. We recommend braces when most of the adult dentition is in, so at least the premolars. Sometimes the canines are late and braces are needed to make room for those teeth. Sometimes other appliances are needed earlier (age 7 ish) if a child has a severe lack of space in their mouth. But each child is different and can be at a different state of dental development than their chronological age might suggest.
Flouride does not help prevent tooth decay.
The German's put flouride in the water of their concentration camps.
Big brother is lying to you. Stop drinking the flouride and watch yourself change for the better.
You are a NITWIT. Studies in the early 50s, proved that fluoride prevented cavities. In areas of Utah, in the 50s, it was discovered that children living there, had NO cavities. It was disclosed that the drinking water in those Utah towns, had high concentrations of fluoride. I have just answered all concerns on this thread.
@Smukers
Studies sponsored by Alcoa Aluminum - a primary source for fluorine related toxic waste.
Coicidence? I think not...
Here is a link to a 1957 study which is online at the National Institute of Health. The teeth records of children in Grand Rapids, Michigan were compared with those of Muskegon in 1944 and 1945. Here is a link to a 2000 study, also online at the National Institute of Health.
Interesting note, "...the Justice Department retained jurisdiction over Alcoa until 1957." Here is the link to that quote.
Until 1957, Alcoa was controlled by the US Government. Fact, as Smukers wrote, the studies have consistently shown that fluoride has a beneficial effect of reducing tooth decay. Fact, Alcoa did not and could not have influenced the results.
Seriously?
Isn't it kinda odd that when looking at humanoid skulls from thousands (or millions) of years ago there is virtually no tooth decay? They often are worn down, but cavities just didn't seem to exist? Our ancestors did not floridate their water, or brush with toothpaste.
There are legitimate concerns about the safety of floride, especially, the manufactured stuff they call floride. I've little doubt this article is pushed by those who benefit from the use of floride trying to close the barn door before the horses get out and folks realizing that maybe floride is just another man made substance that we're all exposed far too much to.
@ lunatoo- Refined sugar is a relatively new addition to the human diet. That is why cavities do not exist in skulls of humans going back thousands of years ago and earlier.
lunatoo, It isn't odd at all when one considers the average human expectancy at birth (other than in biblical stories) thousands of years ago was in the 30s. Plus as Brad mentions, refined sugar is a new food addition.
Flouride does seem to be good for teeth... so brush with it. Why do people need to ingest it? Do people drink mouthwash? Should Listerine be put in the water supply too? Flouride wasn't put in the water supply to help your teeth. The "flouride" is a bunch of industrial waste that was dangerous to dump in concentrated levels, so they decided to dilute it instead and poison everyone just a little by adding it to the water supply. After Fukushima, the govt. responded not by warning people, but by raising the "acceptable" level of radiation. These things happen... I feel sorry for those who've been brainwashed into thinking that questioning authority amounts to being a "whacko;" You are so pathetic.
Water does not cause tooth decay; sugar from bottled juices is the culprit. This article is misleading and is really an argument for augmenting water with fluoride, which is not a bad thing, just call it for what it is.
Despite the misleading, sensationalized headline there is nothing wrong with bottled water. The problem is lack of knowledge about flouride. If your tap water does not have an adequate amount or you don't use it then you should be using a flouride supplement. A little education, check with your water supplier and pediatrition and problem solved.
You need a little more education - about the stupidity of fluoridating water.
Be educated on the subject, know what is in your water and find out what your pediatrition recommends. According to stanmrak these are things worthy of launching a personal attack. LOL, It does not take very much for a fool to stroke his ego.
Seamus? This poor kid will be ridiculed his entire life. Everyone will be calling him semen. The kids will be saying things like, "Here comes semen."
You do realize the name is pronounced 'Shay-mus', right...? Bet you have the same difficulty with Aisling, Roisin and Siobhan.