A new study says that the use of fluoride in toothpaste and mouthwash has bad health effects. Benefits of water fluoridationHowever, researchers say it would be a mistake for municipalities to use these findings to back off from adding the cavity-fighting mineral to their water systems. The study was published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

Anne-Marie Glennie, co-author of the study and professor of health sciences research at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, said, “There is no evidence to suggest water fluoridation The programs exist, they must be stopped.”

Hundreds of American communities are opting out of water fluoridation, according to a report by NBC News. City leaders often cite medical freedom as a reason, saying it should be up to voters, not governments, to decide what to add to municipal water supplies and what not. Groups opposing fluoride also raise concerns that it could affect children’s IQ levels.

A federal judge in California ruled last month that even though he could not definitively conclude that fluoridated water was a threat to public health, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should strengthen water fluoridation regulations.

For the new study, researchers analyzed more than 157 studies that compared tooth decay in children living in communities that had fluoride added to their water supplies.

Studies conducted before fluoride-fortified toothpaste became widely available in the mid-1970s found that a survey of more than 5,700 children found that adding fluoride to water systems reduced the number of teeth lost by an average of 2.1 per child. . However, studies conducted after 1975 involving approximately 3,000 children in the UK and Australia estimated that the benefit was smaller, at 0.24 fewer decayed baby teeth per child. That’s a quarter tooth.

“Most studies on water fluoridation are more than 50 years old,” Glenny said. He also said that “contemporary studies are showing that water fluoridation is beneficial.”

Some health groups, including the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, support the use of fluoridated water. They highlight studies that show that fluoridated water reduces tooth decay by 25%.

However, some new research has shown that water fluoridation may have negative effects on your health.

Janet Clarkson, another co-author of the study and professor of clinical effectiveness at the University of Dundee in Scotland, said the research could serve to “start a dialogue” to further understand the impact of public water fluoridation.

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