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Medical Forum / General / General / February 2005Dental psychology: how fluoride prevents caries
I've come up with the bright idea that dental fluorosis (not just fluoride) prevents cavities. Some Colorado town had naturally high fluoride in its water, and drinking the water turned a lot of people's teeth brown, mottled, and crumbly. Not knowing that those symptoms were caused by excessive fluoride in the water, they looked around to find a way to prevent the symptoms. They tried the simplest, cheapest, and most obvious remedy: improved technique and increased frequency of brushing. If you listen intently, you can hear the echoes of mothers and dentists saying, "Jimmy, did you brush your teeth well? You don't want them to get worse," and "Mary, you don't want your teeth to turn brown like the Smith kids---so brush!" The result is a correlation between a high frequency of dental fluorosis and a low frequency of dental caries. Does anyone know that this hypothesis has been proposed previously? If so please provide a reference. > I've come up with the bright idea that dental fluorosis (not just > fluoride) prevents cavities. [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > Does anyone know that this hypothesis has been proposed previously? If > so please provide a reference. What do you think? T >>I've come up with the bright idea that dental fluorosis (not just >>fluoride) prevents cavities. [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > What do you think? My guess is that it has been proposed. What do you think? > I've come up with the bright idea that dental fluorosis (not just > fluoride) prevents cavities. [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > Does anyone know that this hypothesis has been proposed previously? If > so please provide a reference. Well to start off, the premise already is incorrect because those Colorado people with fluorosis did not have little tooth decay: Only 28.5% of 12- to 14-year-olds were cavity-free in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with 2.6 ppm naturally fluoridated water, but 75% had fluorosis, according to a 1948 study ("Fluorine in Drinking Water Its Effect on Dental Caries," by Francis A. Arnold). Also, Hereford, Texas, was touted as the "town without a toothache" because high levels of natural water fluoride discolored the townfolk's teeth but, we were told, they didn't have any or few cavities. However, 12 to 14-year-olds living in Hereford, Texas, where the water was naturally fluoridated at 3.1 ppm, 100% had dental fluorosis; but only 38% were caries free. >Only 28.5% of 12- to 14-year-olds were cavity-free in Colorado Springs, >Colorado, with 2.6 ppm naturally fluoridated water, but 75% had >fluorosis, according to a 1948 study ("Fluorine in Drinking Water Its >Effect on Dental Caries," by Francis A. Arnold). ONLY??? >>Only 28.5% of 12- to 14-year-olds were cavity-free in Colorado Springs, >>Colorado, with 2.6 ppm naturally fluoridated water, but 75% had >>fluorosis, according to a 1948 study ("Fluorine in Drinking Water Its >>Effect on Dental Caries," by Francis A. Arnold). > > ONLY??? Joel, I guess you are saying that that rate was very good. Could you or somebody describe in more detail how that rate compares with today's rates and maybe how it compares with rates of the 1940's? and maybe point to some statistical study(s) somewhere? >>>Only 28.5% of 12- to 14-year-olds were cavity-free in Colorado Springs, >>>Colorado, with 2.6 ppm naturally fluoridated water, but 75% had [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >rates and maybe how it compares with rates of the 1940's? and maybe >point to some statistical study(s) somewhere? Good questions! I do not have the numbers, although I confess our job would be easier if we did. Suffice to say in the 1960s, people showed up with so many rotted teeth that dentures were endemic. At dental school we restored everything possible, even if it were an impossible job. Yet my first full upper/full lower denture case (no teeth left) was an 18-year old girl who was still in high school. Our oral surgery department extracted all. Could you imagine that happenign today? No way. Joel Joel M. Eichen DDS > >>Only 28.5% of 12- to 14-year-olds were cavity-free in Colorado Springs, > >>Colorado, with 2.6 ppm naturally fluoridated water, but 75% had [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > rates and maybe how it compares with rates of the 1940's? and maybe > point to some statistical study(s) somewhere? According to statistics put out by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, 72.2% of third graders in Arkansas experienced dental decay, 69.4% in Oklahoma, 67.1% in Nevada. The statistics from the 1940's were in 12 - 14 year olds. And after 60 years of water fluoridation, 50 years of fluoridated tooth paste and a virtually 100% fluoridated food and beverage supply along with dental fluoride treamtents and fluoride supplements dispensed in non-fluoridated areas , 65% of America's 14-year-olds have experienced tooth decay. But since cavity rates in 2 - 4 year olds are increasing, and the CDC admits fluoridated water has no beneficial effect on them, expect negative dental health statistics on 14 year olds to go even higher in future surveys. See how badly fluoridation works in New York State http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/11749/113458 >According to statistics put out by the U.S. Centers for Disease >Control, 72.2% of third graders in Arkansas experienced dental decay, >69.4% in Oklahoma, 67.1% in Nevada. The statistics from the 1940's >were in 12 - 14 year olds. I guess that shows that plenty of Americans cannot AFFORD to visit the dentist regularly. Thank God for fluoride! Joel R E P L Y Thanks for the humorous link. Anytime anyone starts off with "ORGANIZED DENTISTRY" like its some Mafiosi plot, I start chuckling! Fluroide "INJECTED" into the water supply. INJECT def. Force or drive (a fluid or gas) into by piercing Joel YOUR LINK: Organized dentistry is oblivious that their 1950s concept, fluoridation, fails modern America as they continue to misrepresent fluoridations value. Since fluoridation began, dentists got richer and the poor were left behind. Take New York State, for instance: Almost three fourths of New Yorkers have consumed tap water injected with fluoride for decades. Yet, New York States fluoridated counties and cities suffer worse dental health than those without fluoride-laced water supplies. *** >> >>Only 28.5% of 12- to 14-year-olds were cavity-free in Colorado >Springs, [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > >http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/11749/113458 Fluoridation cannot overcome soft drink consumption. Fawks >>>>Only 28.5% of 12- to 14-year-olds were cavity-free in Colorado > [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > > http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/11749/113458 >Fluoridation cannot overcome soft drink consumption. > >Fawks Specifically ..... "Pepsi!" Joel >>>>>Only 28.5% of 12- to 14-year-olds were cavity-free in Colorado >> [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] >> >> http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/11749/113458 >> >>Only 28.5% of 12- to 14-year-olds were cavity-free in Colorado >Springs, [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] >non-fluoridated areas , 65% of America's 14-year-olds have experienced >tooth decay. As presented, these statistics are meaningless. HOW MUCH DECAY? Do the children of today have the same average number of fillings as the children of the 1940s? More? Fewer? -- David Wright :: alphabeta at prodigy.net These are my opinions only, but they're almost always correct. "If I have not seen as far as others, it is because giants were standing on my shoulders." (Hal Abelson, MIT) > >> >>Only 28.5% of 12- to 14-year-olds were cavity-free in Colorado > >Springs, [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > > -- David Wright :: alphabeta at prodigy.net And, what else may affect any decrease in cavities. How has diet changed. Around the same time water fuoridation began, foods were fotified with vitamin D to protect against rickets. One symptom of rickets is tooth decay. Lots of things have changed since the 1940's that have to be factored in before fluoridation can be credited with any possible drop in tooth decay. One way to discern that is to look at statistics from countries who never fluoridated their water and you'll see that tooth decay rates have declined globally - whether water was fluoridated or not. >>>>>>Only 28.5% of 12- to 14-year-olds were cavity-free in Colorado >>> [quoted text clipped - 69 lines] > never fluoridated their water and you'll see that tooth decay rates > have declined globally - whether water was fluoridated or not. OK, where is the data to support your claim? http://www.fluoridealert.org/who-dmft.htm > http://www.fluoridealert.org/who-dmft.htm That doesn't explain much. For example, is whatever Austria and Greece did midway throught the time scale, just done earlier by the other countries? Joe If only we could get soft drinks manufacturers to put fluoride in their drinks! Can you think of an easier delivery method?? SK >>>>>Only 28.5% of 12- to 14-year-olds were cavity-free in Colorado >> [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > "If I have not seen as far as others, it is because giants > were standing on my shoulders." (Hal Abelson, MIT) Soft drinks already have fluoride in them. Check out research by Levy et al or do a fluoride in foods internet search. Soft drinks are made with unfiltered tap water. So any beverage (or food for that matter) made in a fluoridated area contains fluoride. On the other hand, the bottled water put out by Coke (Aquapure, I think it's called) uses water that has the fluoride taken out by reverse osmosis. New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation http://www.orgsites.com/ny/nyscof > If only we could get soft drinks manufacturers to put fluoride in their > drinks! Can you think of an easier delivery method?? [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] > > "If I have not seen as far as others, it is because giants > > were standing on my shoulders." (Hal Abelson, MIT) >Soft drinks already have fluoride in them. Check out research by Levy >et al or do a fluoride in foods internet search. True, its too hard to remove the fluoride put into the water! Joel >Soft drinks are made with unfiltered tap water. So any beverage (or >food for that matter) made in a fluoridated area contains fluoride. Yup. >On the other hand, the bottled water put out by Coke (Aquapure, I think >it's called) uses water that has the fluoride taken out by reverse >osmosis. Yeah? Cool. >New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation >http://www.orgsites.com/ny/nyscof [quoted text clipped - 56 lines] >> > "If I have not seen as far as others, it is because giants >> > were standing on my shoulders." (Hal Abelson, MIT) |
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