Newsletter

Drinking bottled water? Check the fluoride facts.

The human body is made up mostly of water and depends on water to keep organs and systems functioning properly. Health experts generally recommend consuming eight to 10 cups of water a day with the amount varying based on body size, physical activity and exposure to hot weather.

These days, many consumers are choosing bottled water. In fact, a recent study shows that Americans consumed more than 5 billion gallons of bottled water in 2000, more than double the amount from a decade earlier.

However, if bottled water is your main source of drinking water, you could be missing the decay-preventive benefits of fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral that helps prevent tooth decay.

While the fluoride content of bottled water varies greatly, the vast majority of bottled waters do not contain optimal levels of fluoride. Some contain no fluoride. When water is treated before it is bottled, fluoride may be lost.

How can you make sure you and your family—especially children—are getting the right amount of fluoride protection in bottled water? First, check the label for fluoride content. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's current regulations do not require bottled water companies to indicate fluoride content on bottled water labels, unless it has been added to the water.

Contact the company if the fluoride content is not shown on the label and ask what level of fluoride the water contains. Amounts of fluoride are the same whether they are reported in parts per million or milligrams per liter. To help prevent tooth decay, water should contain 0.7 to 1.2 ppm of fluoride. One ppm is equal to 1 mg/L.

And don't overlook your home water treatment systems, such as reverse osmosis and distillation units, which may remove the fluoride from water supplies. It's a good idea to look at the manual for these devices or to contact the manufacturer if you can't determine their effect on fluoride levels.

Secondhand Smoke, Tooth Decay Linked in Young Children

Young children who are exposed to secondhand smoke have a much higher rate of tooth decay than children who do not grow up around smokers, according to a study published earlier this year the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Based on data from household interviews and health examinations of about 4,000 children aged 4 to 11 years, the study found that children had an increased risk of developing tooth decay if they had high levels of cotinine, a byproduct of nicotine that is consistent with secondhand smoke exposure.

About 32 percent of the children with cotinine levels consistent with secondhand smoke exposure had decayed surfaces in their primary teeth, compared with 18 percent of children with lower levels of cotinine.

This higher risk of developing cavities in tobacco-exposed children persisted after controlling for other factors such as poverty and frequency of dental visits. The study, however, did not find a similar association between secondhand smoke exposure and cavities in permanent teeth.

According to the study's lead author, C. Andrew Aligne, M.D., of Pediathink, a child health think tank in Rochester, N.Y., the results provide further evidence that passive smoking is harmful and that all children should be allowed to grow up in a smoke-free environment.

Source: ADA News

Additional articles coming soon.
Please bookmark this page.