A new study draws attention to possible problems with fluoride consumption.
Share on PinterestA new study examines uterine fluoride exposure and the possible association with IQ. Getty Images
The 70-year-old public health effort that led to fluoridation of water becoming common in the United States is recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as one of the great public health achievements of the 20th century . Century praised.
Currently, nearly 75 percent of the population use fluorinated water from their local water systems.
“Fluoride is a mineral that easily binds to bones and teeth. It is typically used in dentistry to promote the remineralization of dentin in the outer tooth enamel, ”explains Pamela Den beste, DDS, MS, professor of orofacial science at the University of California at San Francisco.
Today it goes without saying that the addition of fluoride to public drinking water not only prevents tooth decay, but is also fundamentally harmless.
But now, early research has shown the possibility that fluoride could affect the IQ score of children who were exposed to the chemical in utero.
Researchers studied 512 children in Canada to find that those who were exposed to higher levels of fluoride before birth had significantly lower IQ scores between 3 and 4 years of age.
The study was published today in JAMA Pediatrics.
Approximately 2,000 pregnant women from 10 cities across Canada were recruited from the Environmental Chemicals Maternal and Child Research Program (MIREC) for the study.
The results suggest that fluoride ingestion during pregnancy, within the normal range of water fluoridation standards, may affect children in utero.
The study concluded that fluoride intake during pregnancy should be reduced while additional research is being conducted.
“To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to estimate the fluoride exposure in a large birth cohort that receives optimally fluoridated water,” the study authors wrote.
Information on the consumption of tap water and other water-based beverages, such as tea and coffee, was obtained from a self-assessment questionnaire completed by mothers in the first and third trimesters.
“Since the 1950s, when water fluoridation began, its safety has been debated. We found that there were big questions about the safety of fluoride, especially for pregnant women and young children. Safety decisions must be based on evidence, ”study author Rivka Green, MA, a PhD student in clinical developmental neuropsychology at York University, told Healthline.
The study found that the association of prenatal fluoride exposure with a lower IQ score in children persisted even after considering factors such as maternal education, socioeconomic status, location, and exposure to other toxic metals.
“Since we dosed only a few women, we did everything in our power to take into account the factors that are typically controlled in this type of study. We looked at an extensive list of other traits like socioeconomic status and city, as well as other exposures like lead, arsenic and secondhand smoke, and our results stayed, ”said Green.
Previous research, led by researchers from York University, found that fluoride levels in pregnant Canadian women who live in cities where public drinking water is fluorinated are twice as high as those in cities where drinking water is not available .
“We found that fluoride in drinking water was the main source of exposure for pregnant women living in Canada. Women who live in fluoridated communities have twice as much fluoride in their urine as women in non-fluorinated communities, ”said Christine Till, PhD, associate professor of psychology at York Department of Health and lead author of the study in a statement.
This study complements what we know from recent research that has also found a link between prenatal fluoride exposure and decreased intelligence.
“Some previous studies showed that higher fluoride levels were associated with lower IQ scores in children, including another prospective cohort study published by the ELEMENT group in 2017 that had results similar to ours,” said Green.
“However, our study was the first to look at prenatal exposure in a sample that received optimally fluorinated water,” she emphasized.
According to Beste, who was not involved in the new study, apart from the results of these studies, consuming more than optimal amounts of fluoride can stain and weaken teeth.
However, it is unlikely that as much fluoride is consumed from drinking tap water alone.
“The most obvious effect of fluoride is the formation of fluorinated enamel. Fluorosis occurs when there is excess fluoride during tooth formation, and this excess fluoride leads to hypomineralization hypo [softening and discoloration of tooth enamel]which gives fluorinated enamel a whiter appearance than normal enamel, ”said Beste.
She warns that early animal research has found a potential neurotoxic problem for high fluoride levels.
They “show that the neurotoxicity of fluoride is related to the dose, the time of exposure and the sex of the person,” said Beste. “Recent epidemiological research shows links between fluoride and neurotoxicity in humans,” she added.
In an email to Healthline, Dr. Aparna Bole, FAAP, chair of the Council on Environmental Health of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), suggests that fluoridation of water in the community has helped reduce tooth decay for decades, and that this is a study that points out Correlation, not causality.
“Tap water is a healthy and environmentally sound choice in most communities,” Bole told Healthline. “This study is thought-provoking, but the fact that the results were different for boys and girls makes it a little difficult to interpret, and fluoride intake in children has not been studied.”
Bole points out that the AAP supports municipal water fluoridation.
“We support the public health sector’s ongoing assessment of the optimal fluoridation of municipal water and we continue to recommend that children drink optimally fluorinated water,” said Bole.
“In addition, under adult supervision, children should use age-appropriate amounts of fluoride-containing toothpaste and have fluoride varnish applied to their teeth in accordance with the guidelines of the US Preventive Task Force.”
Recent research has shown that prenatal exposure to “optimal” fluoride levels in drinking water is strongly linked to decreased IQ when these children are between 3 and 4 years old.
This study complements previous research that has also found that intelligence is negatively affected in this population.
The American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Environmental Health demands that children should still drink optimally fluorinated water, use age-appropriate amounts of fluoride-containing toothpaste and apply fluoride varnish to their teeth.
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