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It’s a Fact!

Fluoridation works in Boulder!

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Since 1950, the American Dental Association has repeatedly assessed the safety of community water fluoridation. Based on the overwhelming weight of credible scientific evidence, there is no reason for concern.

• The principal benefit of water fluoridation is in preventing tooth decay. Tooth decay is an infectious disease that is, by far, the most common and costly oral health problem in all age groups.
• Fluoridation is effective for all age groups. The number of cavities has been reduced by an average of 25% in fluoridated communities studied.
• Though lessened somewhat, cavity reduction through water fluoridation still occurs, even when people receive fluoride from other sources (such as toothpaste).
• Very few communities (all of them outside the United States) have not experienced an increase in cavities after discontinuing fluoridation. The expected increase is 33%, but at least one community reported a doubling of cavities for some school-age children.
• Fluoridation achieves the same results as a rigorously applied program of dental hygiene. Since such programs are difficult for individuals to maintain, especially for young children, fluoridation is on the whole the more effective alternative for preventing cavities.
• Fluoridation works in three ways: First, with infants and young children, it strengthens the crystalline structure of the teeth as they develop. Second, it inhibits the ability of plaque organisms to produce acid. Third, for mature teeth, by helping to prevent the loss of vital minerals from the teeth and attracting minerals back into the teeth. The “remineralization” effect of fluoride is of prime importance for life-long cavity prevention.
• The suggestion that fluoride prevents cavities by disrupting human enzyme activity is unsupportable. It is bacteria’s acid-producing enzyme activity that fluoride disrupts.
• For infants and young children with developing teeth, ingesting fluoride is beneficial.
• For children with permanent teeth, and for adults, bathing the teeth in fluoride by drinking water several times a day is the most effective way to get the anti-cavity effects.
• The dental benefits of optimally fluoridated water occur regardless of the fluoride’s source. All water in the US contains some amount of naturally-occurring fluoride. Community fluoridation increases the amount to “optimal” levels for dental-health benefits.

The facts are all on the side of continuing fluoridation.