STUDY PREDICTS NATIONAL FLUORIDE BAN WOULD SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASE CHILDREN’S TOOTH DECAY

Fluoride has been added to public water systems in the United States since 1945 to strengthen tooth enamel and fight off bacteria, ultimately reducing tooth decay. Mass General Brigham researchers developed a model to estimate dental health outcomes for children if the United States were to ban fluoridation of public water. The new study, published in JAMA Health Forum, found that banning fluoride would substantially increase dental decay and costs particularly for publicly insured and uninsured children.

“Fluoride replaces weaker ions within tooth enamel, making it stronger and less susceptible to tooth decay caused by bacteria,” said senior author Lisa Simon MD, DMD, Division of General Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “There’s strong evidence from other countries and cities, such as Calgary in Canada, showing that when fluoride is eliminated, dental disease increases. Our study offers a window into what would happen in the United States if water fluoridation ceased.”

The researchers found that eliminating fluoride increased the total number of decayed teeth by 25.4 million more teeth with tooth decay over five years (equivalent to a tooth for one out of every three American children). They also estimated a cost of $9.8 billion in additional dental care costs over five years, which rose to $19.4 billion after 10 years.

The researchers note that their model demonstrates meaningful, ongoing benefit from fluoride at safe levels currently recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Toxicity Program, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We know fluoride works. We’re able to show just how much it works for most communities and how much people stand to lose if we get rid of it,” said Simon.

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