The concept of fluoridation and its enveloping controversy has been a part of San Diego’s history for nearly 60 years.
The public’s fear of this unusual method of medication has survived through decades of change and according to SDSU’s chief dentist, Dr. Kevin Fitzpatrick, the controversy is still a recurring problem.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention call fluoridation one of the greatest health achievements ever. Results show a deduction of cavities in our youth’s teeth by a large percentage.
The government’s recommended fluoridation level recently lowered to 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water, a level Fitzpatrick calls minimal and therapeutic. Although the American Association of Public Health Dentistry is supporting this recommendation, many people remain skeptical.
Rick Gersberg, SDSU professor of environmental health, is uncertain about the long-term effects of this additive. The consumption of fluoride in large levels is known to cause dental fluorosis. This health condition, in its milder, most common form, consists of tooth staining. According to Gersberg, the government recently made a national study with results concluding that 30 percent of the nation’s youth suffers from dental fluorosis. Gersberg said these results show young people today are getting too much fluoride.
“I was always in favor until looking at recent data,” Gersberg said. “A whole evaluation should be done with the more recent studies. Perhaps we should have waited.”
Fitzpatrick, however, questions recent studies. According to him, the latest studies have not yet been peer reviewed and are based on a small sample size.
When exposed to high levels of fluoride, children of age eight or younger are more susceptible than adults to develop dental fluorosis. According to Gersberg, fluoridated water causes fragile bones in elderly people as well. It may also cause bone cancer in young adults. The severe form of dental fluorosis results in a brownish mottling of the tooth enamel, the visible dental tissue.
“I’ve been a dentist for 19 years and have never seen a severe case of fluorosis,” Fitzpatrick said. “But every now and then I’ll see a mild case.”
Another concern with having fluoridated water seems to be the intrusive way in which this medicine enters a person’s body. The idea of a substance being added to water systems in a nationwide scale is still making people hesitant.
According to Gersberg, fluoride is the only medicinal additive in water. The reason for his uncertainty is mainly because when the state puts fluoride in the water, they aren’t controlling how much water is being consumed.
The AAPHD, applauds the continued evaluation of this public health measurement.
“Fluoridation is unusual in several ways,” Fitzpatrick said. “It is still a modern health miracle.”
