Originally published August 6 2005
Fluoride remains unproven as cavity fighter
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Dentists continue to debate about the merits of fluoride use.
He doesn't even recommend fluoride toothpaste -- just good brushing, flossing and eating habits -- because he thinks its cavity-fighting claims aren't proven.
"All the science supports the use of fluoride," said Graham, who rarely sees a mouth that doesn't glisten from the benefits of fluoride treatments.
It was 60 years ago that fluoride was first added to a drinking water supply in the United States to prevent tooth decay.
And New Jersey -- where 15 percent of water is fluoridated, ranking it 49th out of 50 states -- is marking the occasion with its umpteenth debate over whether to treat or not to treat most of its water supplies.
Fluoride's proponents hail it as one of the 10 great public health accomplishments of the 20th century, transforming the oral health of a nation where people once routinely lost teeth to decay.
But its detractors say there's no evidence fluoridated water has improved the nation's dental health.
Some also point to studies showing an unconfirmed link to a rare bone cancer and to the fact that high amounts of fluoride can cause fluorosis, in which teeth become pitted and stained with brown spots.
Nationally, scientific powerhouses such as the American Dental Association and the CDC have been facing off against citizens organizations, environmentalists and splinter groups of dentists and scientists who continue to say the government-endorsed studies about fluoride are wrong.
Supporters of fluoridation say the distinction is meaningless because fluoride ions disperse in water the same way, no matter how they originate.
Just weeks ago, a decision had seemed imminent by the New Jersey Public Health Council, an autonomous agency charged with setting policy on everything from AIDS to immunizations.
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