Dentists Ignore Own Fluoride Advice

Fluoridationists fail to follow their own fluoride advice as is happening with New York State's Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT).  They are offering grants to fluoridate without considering a community's total fluoride intake from all sources as dental researchers recommend. And the evidence shows children are fluoride-overdosed and none are fluoride-deficient. 

Often advised but always ignored are dental researchers’ recommendations to tally children’s total fluoride intake from all sources before instigating any additional fluoride modality which includes water fluoridation

The reason: too much fluoride is damaging children’s teeth. Fluoride overdose symptoms – dental fluorosis (discolored teeth) has consistently increased in US children in severity and incidence without any added decay-resisting benefit.

In 1998, NYS Dep’t of Health dentists, Kumar and Green, cautioned: “Because of the availability of fluoride from multiple sources, practitioners should prescribe other forms of fluoride therapy based on an understanding of patients’ total exposure to fluoride and the need for it,” (NYS Dental Journal, February 1998). 

But Dr. Kumar doesn’t follow his own advice by blindly targeting non-fluoridated areas of New York State without any evidence the water additive, fluoride, is needed, in a recent presentation to the American Dental Association.

New York City 6-month-olds consume unsafe fluoride levels (0.4 milligrams daily from food and beverages) was revealed in 1988 report “A Study of Fluoride Intake in New York State Residents,” by Featherstone  Fluoride content  of common foods and beverages were measured. He  expected his data would form “a sound base for future comparisons to monitor dietary fluoride intake by New York State infants.”  But no such comparisons have been made.

More ignored caution is presented in the 1990 NYS Dept of Health report (Oral Biology and Medicine - Fluoride: Benefits And Risks of Exposure, Kaminsky et al.) 

They report that "Due to the ubiquitous nature of exposures to 
fluoride sources other than drinking water, it is currently impossible to 
draw firm conclusions regarding the independent effect of fluoride in
drinking water on caries prevalence using an ecologic study design." 

But that's exactly what Kumar did when publishing a questionable study
claiming less tooth decay in NYS's Medicaid population (ignoring
that most NY dentists won't treat Medicaid patients).

Kumar himself wrote “one should be cautions in attributing this geographic variation solely to water fluoridation.” 

However, Kumar’s Medicaid study is one of the reasons that the NYS 
Medicaid Redesign Team unwisely decided to use 
Medicaid money for fluoridation.  
See:False Data Propels Fluoridation on the Backs of the Poor.

Like street vendors hawking their wares to disinterested passersby, fluoridation grants are offered often and repeatedly without requiring residents’ fluoride intake be measured. 

Dental researchers, Zohoori and Maguire, are the latest to report, “It is important to monitor systemic fluoride intake from foods, drinks and inadvertent toothpaste ingestion in order to minimize the risk of dental fluorosis” (Caries Research, “Development of a Database of the Fluoride Content of Selected Drinks and Foods in the UK,” May 2016)

“Information on total fluoride intake is essential when planning effective community-based fluoride therapy for the prevention of dental caries and/or dental fluorosis,” Zahoori and Maguire write. Fluoridation is a community-based fluoride therapy.

Zahoori’s research team measured fluoride content of common foods to “facilitate the monitoring of dietary fluoride intake in children,” to minimize the risk of dental fluorosis. The database is here http://tees.openrepository.com/tees/handle/10149/581272  Revealed are fluoride levels in about 500 products including cereal, fish, fruits, nuts, infant milk formula, meat, milk, fruit juices, spaghetti, rice and tea.

For example, 3 ½ ounces of fish contains 1.05 milligrams of fluoride – a level that’s over toddler’s recommended dose – and that’s before other fluoride burdens are included.

The researchers write, “It has been reported that certain Latino diet foods such as a meal of rice and beans prepared with fluoridated water and soy-based processed infant foods, could contribute up to 29 and 45%, respectively, of the threshold fluoride dose…”

Very high levels in tea could also contribute to skeletal fluorosis (an arthritic like disease) http://fluoridealert.org/studies/tea03/

Super-sizing your fries, supersizes fluoride too.

HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?

According to the National Academy of Sciences, to avoid moderate fluorosis (yellow or brown teeth), the adequate daily intake of fluoride, from all sources, should not exceed:

-- 0.01 mg/day for 0 – 6-month-olds
-- 0.5 mg/day for 7 through 12 months
-- 0.7 mg/day for 1 – 3-year-olds
-- 1.1 mg/day for 4 – 8 year olds

Fluoridationists dismiss fluorosis as a harmless cosmetic defect; but it’s actually the only visual sign of fluoride poisoning and can damage a child's self esteem. See pictures   Those who can afford it, pay to have the embarrassing stains covered up or removed.  Will the government do the same for low-income children?

So focused on increasing fluoridation rates and “winning,” organized dentistry, both inside and outside of government,  allowed dental fluorosis to become a new public health epidemic with up to 60% of adolescents afflicted, according to the CDC.  If fluoridation actually saved money by reducing tooth decay, paying for cosmetic dentistry to cover up fluorosed teeth nullifies any alleged savings.

The US has a fluoride in foods database, too. But dentists and pediatricians probably never tell parents to consult it and why they should.  It’s here:

"There has been an increase in the prevalence of fluorosis," reports Steven Levy, DDS, Professor, University of Iowa, in the May 2003 Journal of the Canadian Dental Association. Cavities in primary teeth are still a problem, Levy writes.  "With more severe forms of fluorosis, caries (cavity) risk increases because of pitting and loss of the outer enamel," writes Levy.

Levy, also Principle Investigator of the ongoing Iowa Fluoride Study measures children's fluoride intake, food and beverage fluoride levels, and relates it to fluorosis and cavities.

Levy reported that 90% of 3-month-olds consumed over their recommended 0.01 mg daily-fluoride-dose. Some babies ingested over 6 mg fluoride daily, above what the Environmental Protection Agency says is safe to avoid crippling skeletal fluorosis.

"There is no specific nutritional requirement for fluoride...given the increased prevalence of fluorosis, it may be necessary to revise downward the adequate intake levels for fluoride," write Levy and Warren.

"The optimal level of fluoride intake is not known with certainty," writes Levy.

"Total fluoride intake is the true fluorosis risk factor However, this is very difficult to quantify," writes Levy who found:

* 77% of soft drinks had fluoride levels greater than 0.60 ppm (or 0.60 mg in approximately one quart)

* Two ounces daily baby chicken food provides their maximum dose

* Children's specially-flavored toothpaste increases fluoride ingestion

* Soy-based infant formulas deliver more fluoride than milk-based

* Other foods high in fluoride: teas, dry infant cereals, dried chicken, fish and seafood products

* Fluoridated water added to powdered concentrate ups fluorosis risk

* Grape juices, especially white, contain very high fluoride levels

* 42% of all tested juices and juice drinks had fluoride levels greater than 0.6 ppm

* Fluoride supplements are generally not recommended

* Cereals processed in a fluoridated area contained from 3.8 to 6.3 ppm fluoride

Because of  increasing fluorosis rates, accepted water fluoride levels have been lowered, fluoride treatments and supplements are not recommended for children less likely to get tooth decay, fluoride supplement dosages were lowered twice, fluoridated mouth rinses  stopped being recommended for children under six because of their tendency to swallow it. For the same reason only a pea-sized or rice-sized dab of fluoridated toothpaste is advised for toddlers under parental supervision. And the routine avoidance of mixing fluoridated water into infant formula is now recommended by many government, dental, and health organizations  See: Fluoride and Babies Don't Mix

All infant formulas, organic, concentrated or ready to feed, have some fluoride, according to the Journal of the American Dental Association.

Of course, the most logical step is to stop fluoridation and the uncontrolled delivery of fluoride via the water and foods and beverages made with that water.  Fluoride, neither a nutrient nor essential for healthy teeth, is a drug with adverse side effects.  Fluoride should be prescribed to an individual, monitored for side effects, need and over-exposure and not prescribed for the political viability of special interest groups and the legislators they influence.

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