The benefits of putting fluoride in our drinking water might have weakened over time. In a new review of the evidence, scientists have found that while water fluoridation may still slightly reduce the risk of cavities in young children, its overall impact is likely smaller than it was 50 years ago, before fluoride was widely available in toothpaste. Starting in the 1950s, states and cities across the U.
S. began adding fluoride to drinking water supplies, following research showing that fluoride can prevent tooth decay, especially in children. Today, water fluoridation is practiced in many other countries, and it has been lauded as one of the more effective public health interventions in modern times.
But there has long been debate about the exact benefits of water fluoridation, and whether they could be outweighed by potential risks. Researchers with the Cochrane Library, a research organization well respected for its comprehensive reviews of clinical trial data related to important public health topics, have now decided to take a close look at fluoridation using the most recent gold standard evidence available. The researchers newly examined 22 studies on community water fluoridation programs, making sure to differentiate between studies conducted before and after 1975, which is when fluoride began to be widely added to toothpaste products.
They focused on a specific question: whether the introduction or loss of these programs affected people’s risk of cavities. Overall, t.
