Health Ministry Finds that Fluoridation Does Not Reduce Tooth Decay - Dental Health Magazine
Fluoridation: Not Safe at 1 ppm!
From the California Dental Association Executive Bulletin, January 12, 2010:
“Specifically, ADA granted CDA $200,000 to assist in our effort to prevent the placement of “fluoride and its salts” on the List of Chemicals Known to the State to Cause Cancer or Reproductive Toxicity that is produced by the State of California, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Proposition 65) requires the governor to publish this list of toxic chemicals each year. OEHHA is currently considering fluoride and its salts for inclusion in the Proposition 65 listing. A determination is expected within the next 13 months.”
Osteosarcoma (Bone Cancer) and Fluoridation
Caffey (1955) noted that the age, sex, and anatomical distribution of the cortical bone defects observed in the Kingston-Newburgh fluoridation trial were “strikingly” similar to that of osteogenic sarcoma. There was no follow up study.
Cohn (1992). The New Jersey Department of Health conducted a study of osteosarcoma occurrence in seven Central New Jersey counties. The study finds a statistically significant relationship between fluoridated water and osteosarcoma among males less than 20 years old.
Bassin (2001). A Doctoral Thesis from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine analyzed data from a large case control study of fluoride and osteosarcoma. A robust, statistically-significant relation (7 times increase) was found between consumption of fluoridated water during the childhood growth spurt (ages 6-8) and osteosarcoma among boys less than age 20.
Bassin (2006) Above age-specific work published in Cancer Causes and Control 17: 421-8. Among boys less than age 20 who consumed water with 0.3 to 0.99 ppm fluoride between ages 6-8, the risk of osteosarcoma was five times greater than for boys drinking nonfluoridated water. At 1 ppm or more, the risk was seven times greater.
Takahashi K et al. (2001) Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 11, No. 4 July. From the abstract:
Age-specific and age-standardized rates (ASR) of registered cancers for nine communities in the U.S.A. (21.8 million inhabitants, mainly whites) were obtained from IARC data (1978-82, 1983-87, 1988-92. The percentage of people supplied with “optimally” fluoridated drinking water (FD) obtained from the Fluoridation Census 1985, U.S.A. were used for regression analysis of incidence rates of cancers at thirty six sites (ICD-WHO, 1957). About two-thirds of sites of the body (ICD) were associated positively with FD. Cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx, colon and rectum, hepato-billiary and urinary organs were positively associated with FD. This was also the case for bone cancers in male, in line with results of rat experiments. The likelihood of fluoride acting as a genetic cause of cancer requires consideration.
New Scientist Jan. 22, 1981.
Hydrogen bonding is a weak interaction that holds molecules together. They make and break easily and this is what makes them so versatile - indeed the hydrogen bonds formed between amides (the links between amino acids) are the most important weak hydrogen bonds in biological systems. That these can be disrupted by fluoride in the formation of much stronger bonds may explain how the chemically inert fluoride ion could interfere in the healthy operation of living systems. Thus some of the serious charges that are being laid at its door - genetic damage, birth defects, cancer and allergy response - may arise from fluoride interference after all.
Hip Fracture and Fluoridation
Fluoride is incorporated more readily into mineralizing new bone rather than existing bone. Thus, adults retain about 50 percent of ingested fluoride whereas infants and children retain 87 percent. When fluoride substitutes the hydroxyl ion in the crystal lattice of bone, it makes bone more brittle and diminishes tensile strength. The link between fluoridated water and hip fracture:
1a) Cooper C, et al. (1990). J of Epidemiology and Community Health 44:17-19.
1b) Cooper C, et al. (1991). J American Medical Asso. 266:513-514.
2) Danielson C, et al. (1992). J American Medical Asso. 268: 746-748
3) Hegmann KT, et al. (2000). American Journal of Epidemiology P. S18.
4) Jacobsen SJ, et al. (1992). Annals of Epidemiology 2: 617-626.
5) Jacobsen SJ, et al. 1990). J American Medical Asso. 264(4): 500-2.
6a) Jacqmin-Gadda H, et al. (1995). J American Medical Asso. 273: 775-776 (letter).
6b) Jacqmin-Gadda H, et al. (1998). Epidemiology 9(4): 417-423.
7) Keller C. (1991) Osteoporosis International 2: 1109-117.
8) Kurttio PN, et al. (1999) American J of Epidemiology 150(8): 817-824.
9) May DS, Wilson MG. (1992). Osteoporosis International 2:109-117.
Fluoridated Water and the Brain
Varner JA et al. Brain Research 784, 284-298 (1998). Twenth-seven rats were divided into three groups and for one year were given either distilled water, distilled water with 2.1 ppm NaF – the same concentration of fluoride normally used in fluoridated drinking water – or distilled water with 0.5 ppm AlF3. In both treated groups, the aluminum levels in the brain were elevated relative to controls. The researchers speculate that fluoride in water may complex with the aluminum in food and enable it to cross the blood-brain barrier. Both treated groups also suffered neural injury and showed increased deposits of B-amyloid protein in the brain, similar to those seen in humans with Alzheimer’s disease. “While the small amount of ALF3 …required for neurotoxic effects is surprising, perhaps even more surprising are the neurotoxic effects of NaF” at 2.1 ppm, the authors write.
Masters R.D., Coplan M.J. et al. NeuroToxicology 21(6): 1091-1100. (2000) From the abstract:
Chronic, low-level dosage of silicofluoride (SiF) has never been adequately tested for health effects in humans. We report here on a statistical study of 151,225 venous blood lead (VBL) tests taken from children ages 0-6 inclusive, living in 105 communities of populations from 15,000 to 75,000. The tests are part of a sample collected by the New York State Department of Children’s Health, mostly from 1994-1998. Fluoridation status was determined from the CDC 1992 Fluoridation Census. For every age/race group, there was consistently significant association of SiF treated community water and elevated blood lead. The highest likelihood of children having VBL greater than the danger level of 10 micrograms per deciliter of blood occurs when they are both exposed to SiF treated water and likely to be subject to another risk factor known to be associated with high blood lead. Results are consistent with prior analyses of surveys of children’s blood lead in Massachusetts and NHANES III.
Chronic Kidney Disease and Fluoridation
The kidneys are exposed to significant amounts of fluoride as they try to eliminate it from the body. At risk of retaining harmful levels of fluoride are the 16.8 % of U.S. population aged 20 years and over who have Chronic Kidney Disease (2004 NHANES). Formerly a proponent of fluoridation, the National Kidney Foundation wrote on April 15, 2008, “The 1981 NKF position paper on fluoridation is outdated. The paper is withdrawn and will no longer be circulated.”
Maureen Jones, Archivist – Citizens for Safe Drinking Water –
Keepers of the Well
maureenj@pacbell.net Fluoride Action Network –
Fluoride Action Network
Fluoride: Not Effective at 1 ppm!
Fluoridation has historically been “sold” to politicians and civic leaders by using photos of rampant Baby Bottle/Sippy Cup Tooth Decay (BBTD), a highly visible decay of the upper front teeth. The cause of the decay is high levels of strep mutan bacteria. Fluoridated water at 1 ppm does not kill this bacteria that, 1) colonize on tooth surfaces, 2) thrive and multiply on sugars, and 3) pass their acidic waste onto the dental enamel causing the damage we call tooth decay.
50 percent of U.S. Head Start children have Baby Bottle/Sippy Cup tooth decay from high levels of strep mutans bacteria. A steady source of sugar is supplied to the bacteria by sipping fluids rather than drinking fluids from a cup. The bacteria’s acidic waste first ravages the primary teeth and then continues on to decay the permanent teeth.
In January 2000, Dr. Kathleen Thiessen, Senior Risk Assessment Scientist at SENES Oak Ridge Inc. Center for Risk Analysis, reviewed the 1993-94 California Oral Health Needs Assessment for the City of Escondido (Keepers-of-the-Well.org, #17 Effectiveness) and stated in her critique:
1) For preschool children, … any evaluation of the effectiveness of various measures (fluoridation) must control for the occurrence of BBTD and,
2) Any study of the effectiveness of a particular measure (fluoridation) in preventing dental caries must control for the presence of dental sealants, or the results will be meaningless. and,
3) In addition, if children with BBTD are thought to be more prone to developing caries in permanent teeth, then history of BBTD vs. caries incidence should be examined for both preschool and elementary children.
The dental literature is clear that elementary school children with a history of BBTD are indeed more prone to decay in permanent teeth. Therefore, controlling or adjusting for history of BBTD in elementary school children should be the norm but is never done! By not adjusting for BBTD history and sealants, dental studies of school children can claim a (false) fluoridation benefit!
_______________
J H Shaw. “Causes of Dental Caries; Microbial Agents” New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 317 No 16, Oct. 15, 1987.
When rats are delivered by cesarean section and maintained under sterile conditions, they can be kept in a germ-free state for generations. Carious lesions do not develop when germ-free rats are fed a caries-producing diet.
Bacteriocin typing of S. mutans has indicated that the mother is a major source of oral infection in her infant. …When all carious lesions in pregnant women were restored and they followed good dietary practices, their salivary S. mutans counts decreased to low levels. When these low counts were maintained during their infants’ early lives, their salivary counts of S. mutans were also low and they acquired fewer carious lesions than other children of comparable age. When children in the same study became infected with S. mutans before the age of two years, they had approximately eight times as many carious lesions as children in whom S. mutans was not detected until the age of four.
Auge, K. Denver Post Medical Writer. Doctors donate services to restore little girl’s smile. The Denver Post, April 13, 2004. (Note: Denver, CO has been fluoridated since 1954.)
“Sippy cups are the worst invention in history. The problem is parents’ propensity to
let toddlers bed down with the cups, filled with juice or milk. The result is a sort of
sleep-over party for mouth bacteria,” said pediatric dentist Dr. Barbara Hymer as she
applied $5,000 worth of silver caps onto a 6-year-old with decayed upper teeth. Dr.
Brad Smith, a Denver pediatric dentist estimates that his practice treats up to 300 cases a
year of what dentists call Early Childhood Caries. Last year, Children’s Hospital did
2,100 dental surgeries, many of which stemmed from the condition, Smith said, and
it is especially pervasive among children in poor families.
Shiboski CH et al. The Association of Early Childhood Caries and Race/Ethnicity Among California Preschool Children. J Pub Health Dent; Vol 63, No 1, Winter 2003.
Among 2,520 children, the largest proportion with a history of falling asleep sipping
milk/sweet substance was among Latinos/Hispanics (72% among Head Start and 65%
among non-HS) and HS Asians (56%). Regarding the 30% and 33% resultant decay
rates respectively; Our analysis did not appear to be affected by whether or not
children lived in an area with fluoridated water.
Barnes GP et al. Ethnicity, Location, Age, and Fluoridation Factors in Baby Bottle Tooth Decay and Caries Prevalence of Head Start Children. Public Health Reports; 107: 167-73, 1992.
By either of the two criterion i.e., two of the four maxillary incisors or three of the four maxillary incisors, the rate for 5-year-olds was significantly higher than for 3-year-olds. Children attending centers showed no significant differences based on fluoride status for the total sample or other variables.
Kelly M et al. The Prevalence of Baby Bottle Tooth Decay Among Two Native American
Populations. J Pub Health Dent; 47:94-97, 1987.
The prevalence of BBTD in the 18 communities of Head Start children ranged from 17 to 85 percent with a mean of 53%. The surveyed communities had a mixture of fluoridated and non fluoridated drinking water sources. Regardless of water fluoridation, the prevalence of BBTD remained high at all of the sites surveyed.
“Fluoride primarily protects the smooth surfaces of teeth, and sealants protect the pits and fissures (grooves), mainly on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth. Although pit and fissure tooth surfaces only comprise about 15% of all permanent tooth surfaces, they were the site of 83% of tooth decay in U.S. children in 1986-87.”
Selected Findings and Recommendations from the 1993/94 CA Oral Health Needs Assessment.
“Because the surface-specific analysis was used, we learned that almost 90 percent of the remaining decay is found in the pits and fissures (chewing surfaces) of children’s teeth; those surfaces that are not as affected by the protective benefit of fluoride.”
Letter, August 8, 2000, from Jeffrey P. Koplan, M.D., M.P.H., CDC Atlanta GA.
“Nearly 90 percent of cavities in school children occur in the surfaces of teeth with vulnerable pits and grooves, where fluoride is least effective.”
Facts From National Institute of Dental Research. Marshall Independent Marshall, MN, 5/92.
_______________________