For several years, people have argued over whether or not fluoridation of public water sources is safe and has the best interests of the public in mind. Water fluoridation is the addition of chemical fluoride to community water supplies for the sake of reducing the occurrence of cavities in the population. Fluoridation officially became a policy of the U.S. Public Health Service in 1951, and these days, about two-thirds of the US population has fluoridated public water.
Is Fluoride Safe?
There’s no doubt that too much fluoride can be toxic. A 2006 study showed that the upper limit for fluoride, at 4 ppm, was too high and led to children developing severe dental fluorosis. Earlier this year, the US Department of Health and Human Services issued a recommendation to municipalities to keep the level of fluoride in drinking water at 0.7 milligrams per liter of water.
After seven decades of research, the evidence is conclusive that optimally fluoridated water helps protect teeth without posing risks to your health or your children’s health. As a result of public water fluoridation, widespread occurrences of tooth decay have been reduced. This is especially important to a kid who is prone to childhood cavities, which is a very widespread chronic condition.
Progress has been made in the area of water fluoridation for the state of Arizona. Here’s a list of communities in our state that have an implemented water fluoridation program:
- Bisbee
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Phoenix
- El Mirage
- Tempe
- Gilbert
- Yuma
- Glendale
If you have more questions about how the use of fluoride affects your child’s teeth, talk to your child’s dentist. Especially with younger kids, the use of fluoride toothpaste should be monitored closely, since they tend to swallow toothpaste. Also, be sure to keep all fluoride products out of reach of children.