A newly published study has found that fluoride might not be as effective as it was in the past, after a federal judge last month ruled that a U.S. agency must take actions to weigh possible risks posed by the compound to children’s IQs.
For decades, scientists as well as medical and dental associations have said that fluoridation can reduce tooth decay, with the addition of the compound being one of the greatest medical-related achievements of the 20th century. But since the 1970s, according to the researchers, the benefit of adding fluoride has declined as fluoride-added toothpaste became more commonplace. “The evidence suggests that water fluoridation may slightly reduce tooth decay in children,” study co-author Dr.
Lucy O’Malley, with the University of Manchester, in news release. “Given that the benefit has reduced over time, before introducing a new fluoridation scheme, careful thought needs to be given to costs, acceptability, feasibility, and ongoing monitoring.” Studies conducted after 1975 suggest that adding fluoride to drinking water could lead to slightly less tooth decay in the baby teeth of children, the researchers noted.
“Analysis of these studies, covering a total of 2,908 children in the UK and Australia, estimates that fluoridation may lead to an average of 0.24 fewer decayed baby teeth per child,” said the news release. “However, the estimate of effect comes with uncertainty, meaning it’s possible that the more recent schemes have no b.