Manchester: Dental health advantages of water fluoridation have diminished compared to the period before fluoride toothpaste became widely used, a study revealed. Researchers from the universities of Manchester, Dundee, and Aberdeen examined data from several studies that compared communities with or without fluoridated water.
Fluoride is known to reduce tooth decay. The findings reveal that the effectiveness of water fluoridation has decreased since the 1970s, coinciding with the increased availability of fluoride toothpaste, which is well-known for its ability to reduce tooth decay. Historically, the introduction of low levels of fluoride in drinking water has been regarded as one of the significant public health achievements of the last century.
Benefits of fluoride toothpaste
The benefits of fluoride toothpaste are highlighted in new research published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, which examined over 157 studies comparing tooth decay in children from communities with fluoridated water supplies to those without.
Studies conducted before the mid-1970s, when fluoride toothpaste became widely available, showed that adding fluoride to water systems significantly reduced the number of decayed teeth by an average of 2.1 teeth per child among over 5,700 children. In contrast, more recent studies, which involved nearly 3,000 children in the UK and Australia, revealed a much lower benefit, estimating only 0.24 fewer decayed baby teeth per child; essentially a reduction equivalent to about a quarter of a tooth.
These findings suggest that while fluoride remains effective in reducing tooth decay, its impact may be less pronounced now than in the past, possibly due to the widespread use of fluoride toothpaste and other dental care practices.
Anne-Marie Glenny, a professor of health sciences research at the University of Manchester and a co-author of the review said that, “Most of the studies on water fluoridation are over 50 years old, before the availability of fluoride toothpaste. Contemporary studies give us a more relevant picture of what the benefits are now.”
The 324-page report did not provide definitive conclusions regarding the risks associated with lower levels of fluoride, indicating that further research is necessary. Additionally, it left unanswered questions about the effects of high fluoride levels on adults.
Researchers have called for more comprehensive studies to understand the potential impacts of fluoride exposure, especially in the context of public health and safety