When it comes to fluoride, the hits just keep on coming!
Recent months have brought us the federal court victory against the EPA, as well as studies suggesting that the benefits of fluoridation have been oversold. Now, a new study shows the real world impact of exposing our little ones to fluoridated water.
The study author, Adam Roberts of the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, wanted to investigate how exposure to fluoridated water before the age of 5 might affect long-term economic self-sufficiency. Analyzing years of US census data, Roberts found that kids who drank fluoridated water from birth to age five were more likely to have some problems as adults.
- They were slightly less able to support themselves financially.
- Their physical health wasn’t as good.
- They were a bit less likely to finish high school.
- Fewer joined the military.
- A small number were more likely to end up in jail.
Admittedly, although the differences were small, they were significant.
“To put some of these results in context,” the author then compared these results to a study on the beneficial aspects of food stamps.
Taking the causality of point estimates from both studies at face value, this comparison suggests that early childhood fluoride exposure has the potential to erase approximately two-thirds of the large improvements in self-sufficiency caused by early childhood utilization of food stamps. The net effect of fluoride is negative; even at levels previously thought to be safe, the tooth-strengthening effect of fluoride provides less benefit than fluoride’s corresponding negative impact on other determinants of health and economic self-sufficiency. While it is difficult to disentangle all the mechanisms at play, the observed decrease in high school graduation rates is consistent with negative cognitive effects. [emphasis added]
We’ll say it again: There is simply no good reason to keep adding fluoride to drinking water and an ever increasing number of reasons to finally stop the practice.
Meantime, there’s plenty we can do as individuals to protect teeth while avoiding fluoride. It starts with improving children’s nutrition and helping them develop good oral health habits, including a solid home care routine and regular dental visits starting from the age of 1 or whenever their first tooth erupts.
For more on helping your child grow a healthy smile without fluoride or other toxins, see our earlier post Giving Your Child a Healthy Smile That Lasts a Lifetime.
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