Fluoride and Our Babies Don’t Mix
This week’s edition of Mouth to Mouth will continue to explore facts about fluoride; some of which are sure to surprise many of you.
Unlike many of my colleagues, I have refused to support the use of fluoride supplementations over the years, preferring instead to control oral health through home care and diet. It was a gut feeling I had when my children were infants and in light of recent studies I am glad I went with my instincts.
1. Contrary to previous belief, fluoride has minimal benefit when swallowed.
Modern research has now proven that the previous held belief that fluoride needed to be swallowed in order to be most effective is not true.
For over 40 years dental professionals believed that fluoride’s main benefit came from ingesting it during the early years of life.
However, according to the Centers for Disease Control, fluoride’s “predominant effect is posteruptive and topical”. What this means is that any benefits that occur from the use of fluoride come as a result of direct application of fluoride to the outside of the teeth (after they erupt into the mouth) and not from ingestion. Therefore, there is no need to expose the entire body to fluoride by swallowing it.
2. Fluoridated water is no longer recommended for babies.
The American Dental Association (ADA) in November of 2006 advised parents that they should avoid giving babies fluoridated water and that fluoride supplementation is no longer recommended for newborn infants.
Not only is fluoride ingestion unnecessary, it can also be harmful as mounting evidence links fluoride exposure during the first year of life with the development of dental fluorosis: a permanent tooth defect caused by fluoride damaging the cells which form the teeth.
Fluoridated drinking water contains up to 200 times more fluoride than breast milk and as a result, a baby drinking fluoridated formula receives the highest dosage of fluoride among all age groups in the population.
A recent review in The Lancet describes fluoride as an “emerging neurotoxic substance” that may damage the developing brain and the National Research Council has identified fluoride as an “endocrine disrutpter”that may impair thyroid function. Additionally, a recent study from Harvard University has found a possible connection between fluoride and bone cancer.
Do these findings surprise you? I would love your feedback. Here on my blog, you will get commentluv. For all bloggers out there, when you leave feedback, you can leave a link back to your own blog site. But you don’t have to be a blogger to leave a comment. I want to hear from everyone!
Kathleen
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