|
|
|
BENEFITS ALTERNATIVES
OVERDOSE DISEASES PUBLIC COST |
OVERDOSE Question
16. ADA's
Fluoridation Facts Short Answer ADA's
Fluoridation Facts Long Answer As demonstrated in Table 2, fluoride intake in the United States has a large range of safety. The first DRI reference value is the Adequate Intake (AI) which establishes a goal for intake to sustain a desired indicator of health without causing side effects. In the case of fluoride, the AI is the daily intake level required to reduce tooth decay without causing moderate dental fluorosis. The AI for fluoride from all sources (fluoridated water, food, beverages, fluoride dental products and dietary fluoride supplements) is set at 0.05 mg/kg/day (milligram per kilogram of body weight per day). Using the established AI of 0.05 mg/kg, the amount of fluoride for optimal health to be consumed each day has been calculated by gender and age group (expressed as average weight). See Table 2. The DRIs also established a second reference value for maximum-level guidelines called tolerable upper intake levels (UL). The UL is higher than the AI and is not the recommended level of intake. The UL is the estimated maximum intake level that should not produce unwanted effects on health. The UL for fluoride from all sources (fluoridated water, food, beverages, fluoride dental products and dietary fluoride supplements) is set at 0.10 mg/kg/day (milligram per kilogram of body weight per day) for infants, toddlers, and children through eight years of age. For older children and adults, who are no longer at risk for dental fluorosis, the UL for fluoride is set at 10 mg/day regardless of weight. Using the established ULs for fluoride, the amount of fluoride that may be consumed each day to reduce the risk of moderate dental fluorosis for children under eight, has been calculated by gender and age group (expressed as average weight). See Table 2. As a practical example, daily intake of 2 mg of fluoride is adequate for a nine to 13-year-old child weighing 88 pounds (40 kg). This was calculated by multiplying 0.05 mg/kg/day (AI) times 40 kg (weight) to equal 2 mg. At the same time, that 88 pound (40kg) child could consume 10 mg of fluoride a day as a tolerable upper intake level. Children living in a community with water fluoridation get a portion of their daily fluoride intake from fluoridated water and a portion from dietary sources which would include food and other beverages. When considering water fluoridation, an individual must consume one liter of water fluoridated at 1 part per million (1 ppm) to receive 1 milligram (1 mg) of fluoride.17, 103 Children under six years of age, on average, consume less than one-half liter of drinking water a day.103 Therefore, children under six years of age would consume, on average, less than 0.5 mg of fluoride a day from drinking optimally fluoridated water (at 1 ppm). If a child lives in a nonfluoridated area, the dentist or physician may prescribe dietary fluoride supplements. As shown in Table 1, "Dietary Fluoride Supplement Schedule 1994" (See Question 9), the current dosage schedule recommends supplemental fluoride amounts that are below the AI for each age group. The dosage schedule was designed to offer the benefit of decay reduction with margin of safety to prevent mild to moderate dental fluorosis. For example, the AI for a child 3 years of age is 0.7 mg/day. The recommended dietary fluoride supplement dosage for a child 3 years of age in a nonfluoridated community is 0.5 mg/day. This provides leeway for some fluoride intake from processed food and beverages, and other sources. Decay rates are declining in many population groups because children today are being exposed to fluoride from a wider variety of sources than decades ago. Many of these sources are intended for topical use only; however, some fluoride is inadvertently ingested by children.109 Inappropriate ingestion of fluoride can be prevented, thus reducing the risk for dental fluorosis without jeopardizing the benefits to oral health. For example, it has been reported in a number of studies that young children inappropriately swallow an average of 0.30 mg of fluoride from fluoride toothpaste at each brushing.110-113 If a child brushes twice a day, 0.60 mg may be inappropriately ingested. This may slightly exceed the Adequate Intake (AI) values from Table 2. The 0.60 mg consumption is 0.10 mg over the AI value for children 6 to 12 months and is 0.10 mg under the AI for children from 1-3 years of age.74 Although toothpaste is not meant to be swallowed, children may consume the daily recommended Adequate Intake amount of fluoride from toothpaste alone. In order to decrease the risk of dental fluorosis, the American Dental Association has since 1992 recommended that parents and caregivers put only one pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste on a young child's toothbrush at each brushing. Also, young children should be supervised while brushing and taught to spit out, rather than swallow, the toothpaste. It should be noted that the amounts of fluoride discussed here are intake, or ingested, amounts. When fluoride is ingested, a portion is retained in the body and a portion is excreted. This issue will be discussed further in Question 17. Repeat
of Question 16. Opposition's Response None. Many children even in non-fluoridated communities today are showing signs of fluoride poisoning (dental fluorosis) due to too much fluoride in today's foods processed with fluoridated water and from use of fluoridated toothpaste. (See Overdose section). The ADA refers to fluoride as a nutrient. The FDA states that fluoride is not a nutrient — that it is a prescription drug. You don't have to have a prescription to obtain a nutrient. Every prescription drug has side-effects; that is why they can be obtained only on prescription, yet the ADA leads us to believe that it is safe and effective to put fluoride in the water supply, where there can not be any control of dosage. How could that be safe or effective? If it were calcium that our children needed (which is not an industrial waste product) would anyone be fighting to put that in our water supply? (See 13-1 document.). The ADA "Table 2," shows that 10 mg fluoride is "tolerable," but for how long? (See Question 13). Children have become crippled with skeletal fluorosis from drinking water that contained just 4 ppm. (See 16-1: "Deformities Brought About by Fluoride," by Prof. D.G. Steyn, Professor of Pharmacology, University of Pretoria. Includes photos). |
Jump
to the Opposition's
Response for this question. Download
|
|
| NOTICE In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C., section 107, some material on this web site is provided without permission from the copyright owner, only for purposes of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of federal copyright laws. These materials may not be distributed further, except for "fair use" non-profit educational purposes, without permission of the copyright owner. This
site and accompanying book is published by First
Edition This
information provided on this site was compiled by This
site and accompanying book was edited by Site Builder: Michelle@Jabbocat Consulting |
|