Cavities Declined 'Remarkably' Without Fluoridation. With Fluoridation Tooth Decay is a Crisis
Without water fluoridation or lower sugar intake, Nordic countries’ tooth decay rates declined “remarkably” and was sustained for over 50 years. Fluoride toothpaste use was promoted – a collaboration of government officials, organized dentistry, schools, parents and volunteers combined with free oral health care brought The Nordic child populations from having among the highest tooth decay rates in the world to the lowest. (European Journal of Oral Sciences, by Nyvad and Fejerskov (June 12, 2025)
This “indicates that toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste is a robust population strategy that should be promoted as a valid alternative to community water fluoridation for the control of dental caries,” they write.
The authors suggest that similar results could possibly be achieved without fluoride. Toothbrushing, even without fluoride, may remove cavity-causing biofilm in the mouth which could play a significant role in the cavity decline.
“Recently, a systematic review and a large epidemiological study indicate that the effects on cavity progression of having fluoride in the drinking water might be smaller than estimated before the widespread use of fluoride toothpaste [and]…is particularly thought provoking in view of the persistent promotion of water fluoridation by dental associations.”
A 1981 study revealed that tooth decay declined in Denmark during the 1970’s and that it was indeed possible to reduce the development of cavities at the population level without using systemic fluorides such as water fluoridation, they explain
Dental fluorosis (which has greatly increased in prevalence and severity in the US) “reflects a toxicological effect of the total daily fluoride intake on enamel formation, irrespective of the source,” they write.
“Legal and ethical aspects of fluoride applications have seldom been addressed in relation to public oral health strategies. This is particularly problematic for community water fluoridation, by which large groups of people may be obliged to drink fluoridated water against their will without being informed about potential adverse health effects including the increased risk of dental fluorosis. For these reasons, Veneri et al. have referred to community water fluoridation as a form of “mass medication.” Although such an approach might in some countries have been tolerated in the 1960s and 1970s at a time when dental caries prevalence was extremely high, the caries prevalence in most industrialized countries is now so low that violation of individual rights to medical self-determination, ignoring potential adverse effects of fluorides, can no longer be accepted,” they write.
Without Water Fluoridation, Japan's Cavity & Tooth Loss Rates Fell Dramatically for 40 Years
Twelve-year-old Japanese children's cavity rate declined by 75% since 1993, while the number of 80-year-olds retaining 20 or more teeth rose from 10% in 1993 to more than 50% in 2016, according to BMC Public Health.
The research, by Yoshihisa Yamashita, D.D.S, Ph.D., of Kyushu Dental University, describes Japan’s experience as a “natural social experiment” that could reshape how public health experts address preventing dental cavities at the population level.
Unlike many other high-income countries, Japan has historically limited fluoride exposure during childhood — which makes the country a “unique and underexplored case.”
Initiatives targeted the unique characteristics of each life stage to support the normal development of tooth and mouth functions from fetal to early childhood and dental health programs at school.
"A key to success is close cooperation between the national health agency and the dental association, combined with the engagement of local governments, local dental associations, dental professionals, NGOs, and volunteers." they report.
Examples of Water Fluoridation Fails
-- In Ireland, where fluoridation is required country-wide, 40% of 75-year-olds and over have no natural teeth, according to the Ireland Dental Health Foundation. Twenty-five percent of ages 1-9 years old have untreated decay in their baby teeth, according to the World Health Organization.
In the US where fluoride is big business, protected by corporate interests, organized dentistry and chemical companies, 70% of US children and adolescents are fluoride over-exposed, afflicted with dental fluorosis – some of it moderate/severe. Yet, the US faces a crisis in dental care, according to Senator Bernie Sanders who is fighting for better teeth for Americans.
-- In North Dakota, despite a 96.5% fluoridation rate and dental sealants, 60% of 3rd grade children have tooth decay 23.6% have untreated decay
-- In Florida which was about 80% fluoridated for decades until it was banned in 2025 had an oral health crisis which was and is among the worst in the nation.
-- In New York City which is 100% fluoridated since 1965, "more than one in three third-grade students have untreated tooth decay...[and] one in four adults ages 65 and older have no teeth." according to the New York City Department of Health
In Queens county, a borough in New York City where all the water is fluoridated, "Caries [tooth decay] outpatient visit rate per 10,000 - Aged 3-5 years" is higher than both NON-fluoridated Nassau's and Suffolk's rates combined, even though all three are geographically connected on Long Island, NY
-- New York State Dept of Health statistics show that fluoridation has no correlation to less tooth decay or less dental visits to hospital ED's
-- In the US, this chart shows fluoridation has no correlation to socio-economic-status across all US states.
Shamefully, US military veterans are more likely to lose
Teeth, suffer pain, and struggle to access regular dental care. Older US
veterans are much more likely to have had at least six teeth removed (31%) than
older nonveterans (20%), according
to Carequest.
American Indian/Alaskan Natives (AI/AN) "by the age of 5, over 80% of AI/AN dental clinic patients have ECC [early childhood caries]," according to the Indian Health Service. Over 40% of AI/AN preschool children have untreated tooth decay requiring restorative treatment, such as a filling, crown, or extraction.
Tooth decay crises are occurring in all fluoridated cities, states and countries because Americans need dental care - not fluoride, which isn't a nutrient or essential for healthy teeth, so there's no scientifically valid reason to add it to drinking water.,
Politic$ not science supports fluoridation because the cavity/diet connection was well-known in the 1930's when Dentist Weston Price found and reported about populations across the world who had good diets but virtually no tooth decay without fluoride, toothbrushes or fluoride.
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