- ATLANTA - Federal health
officials warned Thursday that 100 million Americans are at higher risk
for dental disease because they arenít getting enough fluoride in
their drinking water.
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- THE CENTERS for Disease Control and Prevention said it
issued new recommendations in part because of the surge in popularity of
bottled water in the past decade.
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- Although some bottled waters marketed in the United States
contain an optimal amount of fluoride, most contain only a fraction of
the one part per million recommended concentration.
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- The CDC also recommends labeling bottled water for its
fluoride content. Current FDA regulations require that fluoride be listed
on the label only if the bottler adds fluoride during processing; the concentration
of fluoride is regulated but does not have to be stated on the label. Few
bottled water brands have labels listing the fluoride concentration.
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- Fluoride can prevent, slow and in some cases reverse
tooth decay.
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- In 1999, the CDC listed water fluoridation among the
10 greatest public health milestones of the 20th century, crediting the
process with huge reductions in tooth decay among Americans.
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- ìAlthough these declines have been dramatic, there
are still some areas of the country that are not receiving the benefits
of water fluoridation,î CDC director Jeffrey Koplan said.
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- In 2000, 12 states did not provide access to fluoridated
public water to at least half of their populations: California, Oregon,
Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, New Jersey,
New Hampshire and Hawaii.
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- To learn the fluoride concentration of community drinking
water, a resident can contact the water supplier or a local public health
authority or dentist.
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- The CDC recommends between 0.7 and 1.2 parts per million
fluoride in drinking water. Among the other guidelines:
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- Limited use of fluoride supplements for children in communities
with low fluoride concentration in their drinking water.
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- Brushing teeth at least twice a day with fluoridated
toothpaste.
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- Guarding against overuse of fluoride by children younger
than 6, which can cause a condition that produces white lines and spots
on teeth.
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- The Associated Press contributed to this report. ___
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- Comment
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- From George Glasser jane@npwa.freeserve.co.uk 8-17-1
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- Dear Editor,
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- The MSNBC article about the CDC report on fluoridation
was another case of PRESS RELEASE jockey reporting.
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- The CDC Report mentions the term "enamel fluorosis"
64 times. The condition is commonly known as dental fluorosis (for photographs,
go to: http://npwa.freeserve.co.uk/dental_fluorosis.html ).
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- Dental fluorosis is seen as mottling, staining or pitting
of the teeth.
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- The CDC Report says:
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- "The 1986--1987 National Survey of Dental Caries
in U.S. School Children (the most recent national estimates of enamel fluorosis
prevalence) indicated that the prevalence of any enamel fluorosis among
children was 22%--23% (range: 26% of children aged 9 years to 19% of those
aged 17 years) (60,61). Almost all cases reported in the survey were of
the very mild or mild form, but some cases of the moderate (1.1%) and severe
(0.3%) forms were observed. Cases of moderate and severe forms occurred
even among children living in areas with low fluoride concentrations in
the drinking water."
-
- Translated into plain English this means that about 62,100,000
real people are affected. About 3,000,000 real people have moderate dental
fluorosis and about 1,000,000 real people have severe dental fluorosis.
Ergo, nearly one quarter of the people in the United States now has a
disease inflicted upon them by CDC Oral Health Division. Furthermore,
the CDC and other proponents of fluoridation dismiss this condition as
"merely a cosmetic effect ... a classic public health trade-off"
for an alleged reduction in tooth decay. Such a myopic view can have
catastropic consequences for people living in the real world.
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- A 1998 survey showed that people with defective teeth
are more likely to experience social and employment discrimination.
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- Half of the respondents saw unattractive teeth as a sign
of poor personal hygiene. International scientists concur that dental fluorosis
is a FORESEEABLE event from fluoridating drinking water, and the victims
are at increased risk for psychological and behavioural problems.
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- The CDC is well aware of the psychosocial effects, but
they were never mentioned in their latest propaganda sheet. The MSNBC report
is another a pathetic example of news by press release, demonstrating yet
again the depressing paucity of rudimentary journalistic enquiry skills
in today's media.
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- SEE THE PICTURES at http://www.npwa.freeserve.co.uk/dental_fluorosis.html
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- Yours truly,
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- George Glasser Freelance environmental writer Currently
in the UK at 12 Dennington Lane Wakefield WF4 3ET, UK
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