The aim of this systematic review has been to assess the evidence on the positive and negative effects of population wide drinking water fluoridation strategies to prevent caries. 214 studies met full inclusion criteria for one or more of the objectives. The best available evidence suggests that fluoridation of drinking water supplies does reduce caries prevalence. This review presents a summary of the best available and most reliable evidence on the safety and efficacy of water fluoridation. Given the level of interest surrounding the issue of public water fluoridation, it is surprising to find that little high quality research has been undertaken. As such, this review should provide both researchers and commissioners of research with an overview of the methodological limitations of previous search conducted in this area. The evidence of a benefit of a reduction in caries should be considered together with the increased prevalence of dental fluorosis. The research evidence is of insufficient quality to allow confident statements about other potential harms or whether there is an impact on social inequalities.

Most people associate fluoride with the practice of intentionally adding fluoride to public drinking water supplies for the prevention of tooth decay. However, fluoride can also enter public water systems from natural sources, including runoff from the weathering of fluoride-containing rocks and soils and leaching from soil into groundwater. Fluoride pollution from various industrial emissions can also contaminate water supplies. In a few areas of the United States fluoride concentrations in water are much higher than normal, mostly from natural sources. Fluoride is one of the drinking water contaminants regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) because it can occur at these toxic levels. In 1986, the EPA established a maximum allowable concentration for fluoride in drinking water of 4 milligrams per liter, a guideline designed to prevent the public from being exposed to harmful levels of fluoride. Fluoride in Drinking Water reviews research on various health effects from exposure to fluoride, including studies conducted in the last 10 years.

Explore the Health Effects of Fluoride PollutionFluoride in Drinking Water: Status, Issues, and Solutions establishes the negative impacts of naturally occurring fluoride on human health and considers the depth and scope of fluoride pollution on an international scale. The book discusses current global water quality and fluoride-related issues and

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) conducted a systematic review of the evidence of adverse neurodevelopmental and cognitive effects of fluoride exposure. NTP's conclusions are summarized in the monograph Systematic Review of Fluoride Exposure and Neurodevelopmental and Cognitive Health Effects. At the request of NTP, a committee convened by the National Academies reviewed their monograph to ensure the integrity of that report. It is important to note that the committee was tasked with reviewing the monograph and focused its efforts on evaluating whether evidence as presented in the monograph supported NTP's conclusions. Thus, it did not conduct its own independent evaluation of the evidence, and it did not conduct a data audit. However, it did review some key literature to enable its review of the monograph. Review of the Draft NTP Monograph contains findings and suggestions for improvements and some overarching findings concerning methods, assessment of animal and human evidence, and NTP's hazard conclusion.

In the case of water fluoridation, the chemicals used to fluoridate the water that more than 180 million people drink each day are not pharmaceutical grade, but rather hazardous waste products of the phosphate fertilizer industry; it is illegal to dump them into rivers and lakes or release them into the atmosphere. And water fluoridation is a prime example of one of the worst medical practices possible-forced medication with no control over the dose or who gets it. Perhaps most shocking of all, it is not subject to any federal regulation. At once painstakingly-documented and also highly-readable, The Case Against Fluoride brings new research to light, including links between fluoride and harm to the brain, bones, and kidneys, and argues that while there is possible value in topical applications like brushing your teeth with fluoride toothpaste, the evidence that swallowing fluoride reduces tooth decay is surprisingly weak.

Fluoride is known to occur at elevated concentration in a number of parts of the world, where it can be a significant cause of disease. The primary focus of this book is the prevention of adverse health effects from excessive levels of fluoride in drinking water. The book fills the urgent need, identified for updating the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality, for information on the occurrence of fluoride, its health effects, ways of reducing excess levels, and methods for analysis of fluoride in water. The draft document, produced by a working group of experts convened to consider protection from fluoride and its control, was issued for extensive review and consultation. The resultant book, which incorporates the comments received, was further peer reviewed by experts in developed and developing countries. It is aimed at a wide range of individuals, including health workers and sanitary engineers who may require a broad introduction to the subject with more detailed guidance in some specific areas. Fluoride in Drinking-waterwill be an invaluable reference source for all those concerned with the management of drinking water containing fluoride and the health effects arising from its consumption, including water sector managers and practitioners, as well as health sector staff at policy and implementation levels. It will also be of interest to researchers, students, development workers, and consultants.

"Dental fluorosis refers to changes in the appearance of tooth enamel that are caused by long-term ingestion of fluoride during the time teeth are forming. Studies conducted in the 1930s showed that the severity of tooth decay was lower and dental fluorosis was higher in areas with more fluoride in the drinking water. In response to these findings, community water fluoridation programs were developed to add fluoride to drinking water to reach an optimal level for preventing tooth decay, while limiting the chance of developing dental fluorosis. By the 1980s, studies in selected U.S. communities reported an increase in dental fluorosis, paralleling the expansion of water fluoridation and the increased availability of other sources of ingested fluoride, such as fluoride toothpaste (if swallowed) and fluoride supplements. This report describes the prevalence of dental fluorosis in the United States and changes in the prevalence and severity of dental fluorosis among adolescents between 1986-1987 and 1999-2004. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999-2004 and the 1986-1987 National Survey of Oral Health in U.S. School Children." - p. 1.

Individual susceptibility to disease (i.e., one’s own genetic background) is one of the three main components classically described in the etiology of dental caries. Hence, genes influence susceptibility to erosive tooth wear, dental development, and response to treatments and interventions. This publication is an up-to-date overview of individual susceptibility to dental caries, erosive tooth wear, and disturbances of dental development from different clinically relevant perspectives. One of the most recognized scientists in this field reports on recent research relating to human genetics – from general summaries to recommendations for daily clinical work and population-level interventions. This book covers all aspects of individual susceptibility to dental caries and erosive tooth wear. Several chapters deal with potential biological mechanisms, with additional ones providing a strong foundation in human genetics, and other chapters touch on efficacy of therapies and alternative concepts. This book is particularly recommended to dental medicine students, practitioners, other oral healthcare professionals, and scientists with an interest in translational research on dental caries and erosive tooth wear.

All-in-one resource in for everything related to fluoridated water, from its impact on dental health to its safety and cost-effectiveness. Dispelling common myths that fluoridation is dangerous, this book provides science-backed information based on the most current research in Q&A format. This is the most in-depth and up-to-date educational resource available regarding fluoridated water, from the American Dental Association.

Abstract: This publication discusses salt flouridation as a means of preventing dental caries. The state of dental health in the Americas is reviewed and the results of two conferences on salt flouridation are examined. Topics include: salt flouridation in various countries; epidemiologic nutritional, and metabolic aspects of salt flouridation; sociopolitical, economic, and educational aspects of salt flouridation; and monitoring, supervision, and safety of salt flouridation.