Canada’s Hankook Ilbo: Should fluoride be removed from drinking water?

On President Donald Trump’s first day in office, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he would advise Trump to eliminate fluoride from drinking water. The former independent presidential candidate, who declared his support for Trump two months before the election, will be in charge of health planning in the Trump administration. He described fluoride as “industrial waste.”

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that is released from rocks into soil, water, and air. It is commonly used in dentistry to strengthen tooth enamel and prevent cavities.

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that is released from rocks into soil, water, and air. It is commonly used in dentistry to strengthen tooth enamel and prevent cavities. Getty Images

In many parts of the world, including Canada, public health authorities or local governments add fluoride to their communities’ drinking water supplies to help prevent tooth decay.

Major public health organizations around the world support this practice, including the World Health Organization and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). PHAC says fluoridation of drinking water is associated with an approximately 25% reduction in cavities in children and adults. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention named it one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century.

In Canada, 38.8% of the population has access to fluoridated water, according to PHAC. Accessibility varies by state and region, depending on many factors including cost, infrastructure, and community issues.

However, some question this practice.

Jerry Uswak, director of the dental therapy program at the University of Saskatchewan, says concerns about fluoride are not based on sound science.

Consuming too much fluoride over a long period of time can cause skeletal fluorosis, a bone disease that can cause bone pain and deformities. This disease is extremely rare in Canada. That’s because health officials adjust fluoride levels in water to keep it safe.

Another minor risk to children is dental fluorosis, according to Health Canada. Children who consume more fluoride than recommended, such as by swallowing toothpaste, may develop white spots on the surfaces of their teeth, but there are no other symptoms or harm associated with this condition.

Aaron Burry, CEO of the Canadian Dental Association, said he could withdraw his support for drinking water fluoridation if it were scientifically sound, but he’s not convinced right now that the risks outweigh the benefits.

Recently, some scientists have studied a possible link between fluoride and children’s intelligence.

A 2019 study published in JAMA Pediatrics found a link between low IQ in Canadian children aged 3 to 4 years and the level of fluoride consumed by mothers during pregnancy. This study did not establish causality. Other factors besides fluoride may have been at play, and the study’s methods and conclusions were widely criticized at the time.

“This does not mean that fluoride during pregnancy has no effect on IQ, and it is important to investigate the link between fluoride exposure and cognitive development,” said Kevin McConway, professor emeritus of applied statistics at the Open University of England.

Christine Thiel, a professor of psychology at the University of York and one of the study’s authors, says there isn’t enough evidence to show a link at exposure levels as low as those found in drinking water in the U.S. and Canada.

Another report released this summer by the National Toxicology Program also looked at the effects of all sources of fluoride exposure, such as food, water and toothpaste, on pregnant women, infants and children. The report suggests that high exposure levels (1.5 milligrams per liter) are associated with lower IQ in children. This is more than twice the Canadian recommended water concentration of 0.7 milligrams per liter.

According to Burry, drinking water fluoridation is “one tool” to ensure the dental health of Canadians.

Uswak said that if fluoride is removed from drinking water, people who cannot afford to go to the dentist will suffer the most.